Dark Angel
by citigirl13
Summary: This is a Damon/Elena story. Elena wakes up to find Damon in her room and vampires lurking outside her window. What will happen? Hope you enjoy it!
1. Chapter One: The Beginning

**Ok, so this is my first Vampire Diaries fanfic, my second fanfiction EVER! Basically I've only seen up to episode thirteen, so I don't know much about what's going to happen. So, I'm going to make this story up as I go along. Just so you know, it's going to be Damon and Elena, Bonnie and Stefan. Damon fans, this is the story for YOU!!! **

**As always, I can't promise that I'll continue this story. We writers know better than anyone that inspiration can leave as fast as it comes. But I hope to continue with this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries. If I did, Damon would be shirtless almost EVERY scene. I know, we can dream... **

**Enjoy! **

**Chapter One **

**In the bedroom**

It was the car alarm that woke her. She opened her eyes and slightly turned her head towards the green digits of the alarm clock. 02:34a.m. _Oh God, it's not even three! _Elena curled into a ball and settled her head back onto the pillow, trying to drift back to sleep.

Yet something was amiss. If you asked her, Elena wouldn't be able to tell you why the air felt like she humming, why the hair was standing up on her arms. _And the damn car alarm would just not stop! _

With a frustrated groan she sat up. Her eyes widened when she spotted a silhouetted figure by the window. Her breath caught in her throat, though she couldn't bring herself to dash down the stairs. Was it Stefan? Though it was so unlike Stefan, to come in the middle of the night without calling her. As she pondered this, she realised that the figure by the window was the worst person in the world; no, the universe; the person that made her skin crawl and want to repeatedly bang her head against a brick wall; a person that possibly could not even be considered a person.

Damon.

"D-" Before she could continue his hand was on her mouth. She immediately began to struggle, knowing what Damon would be able to do if she couldn't scream for help; knowing what he could do even if she could scream.

Still fighting, she was conscious of his nimble fingers placed on her chin. Reluctantly her gaze lifted to his face. _His face... _Even Elena couldn't deny that Damon was hot: with his silver-blue eyes, pale face, and that mischievous smirk, he wasn't bad to look at. His black hair brought out his winter features, as did his gorgeous leather jacket.

_Stefan. _

She forced herself not to think about Damon's stunning features. Instead she watched as his finger lifted up to his mouth, indicating that she needed to be quiet.

Her dark eyes stared questioning at him, not understanding. Seeing this, he smirked, which just made Elena want to punch him in the face. Gently he led her to the window, his hand still over her mouth. She was very close to biting it, but knowing Damon, he would bite back.

Standing by the light of the window, he nodded down at the street. Her eyes stared down at the road in front of the house. It seemed just as normal as ever – well, as normal as Mystic Falls could be: the old Civil War built houses still stood tall and proud; the trees with quiet dignity; no one walked the streets at this time in the morning.

Yet Elena saw it with her very own eyes: a blurred figure dashed past her car.

She froze. Damon moved his hand away from her mouth, knowing she wouldn't speak. She turned to look at him, confused. _Who is it? _she wanted to ask. But Damon wanted her quiet for a reason, so she pressed her lips together.

"Stay here," he said quietly, causing her to jump.

"Who are they?" she whispered. She looked back to the street, but she couldn't see anyone. Then again, she knew better than anyone that just because you couldn't see anything, didn't mean it wasn't there.

Damon sighed. "I don't know."

"Maybe they're just passing through," she suggested.

Damon laughed. "Yeah, because vampires just happen to go hunting in the exact area where Elena Gilbert lives." He turned to her, smiling just a bit. "That's one hell of a coincidence."

_I can see his point. This is me, after all. _Ever since her parents died, Elena seemed to be surrounded by trouble. She had a vampire boyfriend who had his vampire brother, and a witch for a best friend. Yet she was just a human. Why did she attract such danger?

Immediately she felt Damon tense. Everything seemed to happen within a second: a face appeared by the window; Elena felt force in her chest that made her feel as if her heart was going to implode; she fell backwards to the wooden floor, landing on her wrist. She was sure something cracked. But she didn't focus on the pain; instead she was staring at the vampire by the window.

His eyes were red, veins appearing round them. His fangs were out. He smirked as Elena recoiled from the face. Damon, on the other hand, was indifferent.

"You enjoy scaring the life out of girls?" Damon asked. "Not that it's a bad thing, I was just wondering."

"She looks like Katherine," the vampire hissed.

Damon and Elena froze. They all knew that name all too well. "You know Katherine?" Damon asked. His voice was quiet, not angry like Elena had expected.

The vampire smirked. "I know Katherine. I know you, Damon Salvatore." He turned his eyes on Elena. "And I know Elena Gilbert."

"And what do you want with Elena?" Damon asked, his voice harsh and demanding.

"We want the tomb open," the vampire replied. He seemed to want to go into more detail, but Damon interrupted.

"_We?_"

"Yes," the vampire smirked. "We want Katherine and the others back. For that, we need the Gilbert journal."

Elena could feel Damon's confusion, mixed with her. The Gilbert journal? What did that have to do with anything?

Damon asked as much.

The vampire smirked. "Don't you know?"

Damon gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to attack this teenager. "If I did, would I ask?"

He laughed. "Well, I'm not going to spoil the surprise. You'll have to figure it out. Though I doubt you will." He sent Damon a patronising look. "You are the Salvatore boy who fell head over heels for Katherine while she played you against your brother."

A millisecond later both Damon and the boy were gone. Elena gasped and slid further on the away from the window. Her wrist was still a little sore from being thrown back to the door and her heart was beating out of her rib cage. She thanked God that Jenna was on a date with Alaric (which meant if Elena got up early enough she would see Jenna do the walk of shame) and that Jeremy was visiting some cousins.

She almost had a heart attack when she saw another vampire leap up at the window. She tried to struggle upwards, but her legs slipped from underneath her. Then, to her relief, she remembered that a vampire couldn't enter unless the human invited them in.

And Elena had no intention of doing that.

The girl vampire smiled. She looked no older than Jeremy did. _This girl can only be about fifteen or sixteen. _

"A Gilbert," she snarled. "I see your family was able to live on."

Elena frowned. This girl sounded as if she really hated her, but why would she? Elena didn't remember ever meeting her.

"Where's the journal?" the girl snapped.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Jonathan Gilbert's journal! That son of a bitch's journal! Where is it?" Her fangs were hanging out of her mouth menacingly. Elena's instincts were screaming at her to run away, but logic firmly told her that the girl couldn't get inside. If she had been invited in by Jenna or Jeremy, her hand would be round Elena's throat by now.

"I have no idea!" Elena could feel herself beginning to get angry. "Why does it matter so much? Why do you want Katherine so badly?"

The girl laughed. It reminded her of Damon's, only for some reason she didn't feel nearly as intimidated by Damon's laugh as she did by this girl's. "I don't want Katherine."

"You don't?"

"Katherine was a bitch, no two ways about it. I couldn't care less about her. But I want-" Elena didn't find out what this girl wanted, because she suddenly disappeared. She heard the hisses and snarls of vampires fighting.

She continued to stay on the floor, too stunned to move. Eventually she could no longer hear the vampires anymore. Unfortunately, Elena didn't hear Damon.

Despite herself, she was beginning to get worried. What if the vampires were too much for Damon? Yes, Damon was stronger than Stefan, but she had a feeling these vampires drank human blood too.

_What if he's injured? _Elena thought. She felt a shiver run down her spine. _What if he's dead? _

_Do NOT think about that. _

Nervously, Elena got to her feet. _Just don't go out to the window, _she told herself firmly. _Don't leave the house and they can't get you. _

Nearing the window, she took a deep bracing breath. Impulsively she grabbed a baseball bat from the corner of the room (once upon a time she had been a person who did everything, including being on the baseball team) just in case, though any vampire who got hurt by a baseball bat had to be the weakest vampire in the world.

Holding the bat in one hand, she gripped the ledge of the window tightly. Cautiously, Elena Gilbert peered down.

A blur came flying up at her, so fast that she felt her hair flutter in front of her. Giving a scream, she fell back on the floor. Pain soared up her spine once again, causing her to wince. Looking up, she felt her heart leap involuntarily as Damon beamed at her.

"Can't keep on your feet when you're around me? I know, most girls have that problem."

"Damon! For God's sake, are you_ trying_ to give me a heart attack!"

"Nah, those are just my irresistible good looks." He hopped into the bedroom, Elena still on the floor.

"Who were they, Damon?" Elena questioned, a little irritated. "What did they want? Why do they want some Jonathan Gilbert's journal?"

Damon sat down next to her. They were now both staring out the window, as if they were on a date, gazing at the starlit sky. If it hadn't been Damon, it could have almost been romantic.

"I don't know who the guy was," he admitted. "But the girl was Annabel. Her mother was Pearl, she use to be a good friend of Katherine's." He sighed. "I didn't know she was a vampire. I guess she must have been turned when Pearl and Katherine were taken, or sometime before that."

Elena frowned, her eyebrows knitted together. "So you know her?"

"Not really. We didn't speak much."

"She didn't seem to like me," she observed.

"Well, she wouldn't. Jonathan Gilbert was the one who revealed Annabel's mother to be a vampire." Damon smirked. "So I wouldn't go partying with her anytime soon. She might bite you in the back."

Her heart leapt in her throat. "Oh my God, Jeremy!"

"Oh relax beauty queen, he'll be fine. Vampires have to be invited in, remember?"

Her shoulders relaxed. "So, why-"

"Hang on," Damon interrupted. He reached over, his hand taking her wrist. Elena winced as he slowly lifted it up to examine it. "First we need to take a look at this."

Elena was sure this was all a dream. It had to be. Okay, so the killer vampires that were looking for her ancestor's journal were real, yes, she could believe that. But what she could not believe, what made her sure this was her imagination, was the way Damon was behaving.

He had placed her on a stool near the island and was now making her hot chocolate. _Damon, making her hot chocolate? _She would have bet the gates of hell would open before this.

He placed a steaming mug in front of her, keeping one for himself. "Drink it," he commanded.

"Why, decided my blood'll taste sweeter with a bit of sugar in it?" she asked sarcastically.

"You wound me, Elena. As if I would do such a thing." He smirked. "Your blood tastes sweet enough on its own." He watched her as she ran her hands round the warm mug. "Seriously, drink it. It'll calm you down."

"I'm fine."

"Your heart says otherwise. Then again, being around me makes every girl's heart beat a little faster." He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever Damon. Can you just explain? Why do they want Jonathan Gilbert's journal?"

He sighed, irritated. He didn't like it when he didn't know everything. Okay, he was a smart ass, but at least a smart ass knew all the answers. "I don't know. But I'm thinking that there's something in that journal that helps them open the tomb. We're missing something here." His blue eyes met Elena's. He admired her colouring: both her eyes and hair were coffee coloured, such a strong definite colour. It was so straight too, whereas Katherine's was naturally curly. _They're so different: as if Katherine's the moon and Elena's the sun. _

"I'll tell you one thing," he said, breaking his thoughts. "We need to get that journal before they do."

"And where is this journal?" asked Elena.

"That's what _I _would like to know." He stared at her, as if he could peer into her mind. She found herself feeling intimidated, though not scared. Elena Gilbert had long since stopped being afraid of Damon Salvatore.

At least, that's what she told herself.

"We should search through my boxes in the attic. Though there's heaps of it." She sighed. "It could take us all night to get through them. Longer even."

Damon grinned. "Sounds dull, those we could make it more interesting." He grinned cheekily, like a child. "Every box we go through, one of us takes an item of clothing off."

Elena threw her coaster at him. Damon caught in with one hand, without breaking a sweat. "Nice aim," he offered.

"Didn't hit," Elena muttered resentfully.

Damon laughed, though it died on his face quicker than she expected. Trying to keep his voice light, he asked, "Anything hurting?"

She shook her head. Damon glanced down and, sure enough, she was wearing the necklace. _Damn it. _"Elena," Damon said, quieter this time. "Is anything hurting?"

She bit her lip. "My neck and back. And my wrist, when you threw me back on the floor."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know it was your life-long dream to be killed by a vampire."

"He couldn't get to me. There was no reason for you to shove me to the ground."

_I was just trying to protect you. _Damon wished he could say those words to Elena, but he didn't. Instead, he held his hand out across the table. "Let me see it," he commanded quietly.

"Damon, I'm sure it's fine," she said, her tone as light as his had been. "Just sore."

Once again he disappeared before her eyes, only to reappear on the stool next to her. Before she could protest he lifted her wrist up again. Gently he ran his hand over her wrist. While he touch was light, Elena's wrist did not ache. But when he pressed down, she pulled her hand away from him with a whimper of pain.

"I don't think it's broken," he informed her. "Just bruised."

"It hurts," Elena admitted reluctantly. When she looked back up, she saw Damon had gone. "Damon?" she called. She didn't hear him in the house, so assumed he had left. _I will _never _understand Damon. _

Taking his advice, she drank her hot chocolate now that it had cooled. A warm, comfortable feeling entered her stomach, making her feel sleepy again. It was only just three in the morning.

Debating on whether to go back to bed and try to get to sleep, she felt a breeze against her skin. She jumped when Damon was back on the seat opposite her. "Damon, I swear, it's like you want me to die from shock."

He ignored her, focussing on her wrist. That was when she noticed that he was holding one of those thick bandages. Taking her wrist again, he gently moved the bandage up, fitting it over her wrist. "Keep this on for a few days. It won't hurt much while it heals."

Elena stared at Damon. _First the hot chocolate, now the bandage? Who is he, and what has he done with Damon? _"Thanks," she said, still a little stunned.

He met her gaze. Lifting her hand, he brought his face down and pressed his lips against her skin. She felt her skin tingle, her breath lodging in her throat.

Damon lifted his head up, smiling. His eyes, for once in his life, seemed warm. "There," he whispered, stroking her hand. "All better."

_Snap out of it! _Elena tilted her head to the side, her dark eyes calculating. "Why were you in my room, Damon?" she questioned. "Why were you here?"

Damon looked at her intently. He opened his mouth, preparing to answer her. But Elena didn't find out what he was going to say, because at that moment they were interrupted.


	2. Chapter Two: You don't know

**Hey everyone! **

**Okay, so this is the second chapter of Dark Angel. I am falling in love with this story; it's consuming me. I've even got a little document with notes about where I want this story to go. I want everyone to remember that this story is going to be at least ten chapters long (then again I am a woman, therefore have the prerogative to change my mind) so many things may not come to light until a few chapters later. I am not going to rush into the Elena/Damon relationship; I want to take it slow; it's the same with the relationship with Damon and Stefan. **

**Anyway, I hope everyone likes the chapter! Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters**

**Chapter Two **

**You don't know**

The door flung open with a clang. Both Damon and Elena whirled round, Elena leaning away from Damon. She wondered why she felt relieved that it was only Jenna that had entered.

Clearly Jenna did not feel the same way. "Hi," she said, her cheeks tinged red.

Elena grinned, desperate for Jenna not to turn on her. "How was your date?" Did she notice that she had leaves in her hair?

Jenna avoided eye contact. "It was good," she murmured vaguely. Her eyes widened when she realised Damon was inside the house in the middle of the morning. "What's Damon doing here?" she demanded, completely ignoring the eldest Salvatore.

Elena's mind went blank. Normally she was good at working something up on the spot, but with every-thing that happened tonight, she was finding it difficult to think up a convincing story.

Of course, Damon knew what to do. "She thought she heard burglars outside. She didn't want to disturb Stefan because he was seeing a friend, so she called me." Elena saw the faintest of winks from Damon as he turned to Jenna. "I was checking it out when muggings here tripped and injured her wrist."

_Perfect_, Elena realised. He was diverting Jenna's attention from himself being here to her injured wrist. At once Jenna was all over the girl, checking her over.

"Was there anyone there?" she questioned her niece.

Elena shook her head. "I was just being stupid."

"You should have seen her," Damon put in. "She was terrified, practically shaking when I arrived."

"Oh baby," Jenna murmured, holding Elena to her chest. She glowered at Damon, who was smirking, enjoying himself. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have left you alone-"

"No!" Elena loved being on her own. Yes, she was little Miss Popular at school and dating one of the cutest guys in the school, the envy of most girls. And yet... She enjoyed being alone. She enjoyed walking down the halls of an empty house. She adored being able to sit alone in her room writing in her diary, solitary with her thoughts.

But what could she say? "No Bonnie, I don't want to meet up at the Grill, I want to be alone?" Or "No Stefan, I don't feel like going out for a romantic dinner, I just want to change into my pyjamas and write in my journal by the light of the moon?" People wouldn't understand; they would think it was personal, and eventually she wouldn't have anyone. If she wanted friends, then she would have to sacrifice her alone time.

Elena suddenly felt Jenna's and, to her discomfort, Damon's eyes on her. "I mean, honestly Aunt Jenna, I was just spooked. I've been left on my own plenty of times before."

Jenna looked unconvinced, but nodded. "Okay." She glanced warily at Damon. She looked as if she wanted to say something else entirely, but said, "Thank you Damon."

He shrugged, standing. "Forget it," he said. He took his leather jacket from the seat and started to the door. "I'll come over tomorrow, Elena." Elena couldn't decide whether it was a threat or a promise.

Elena nodded, trying to show some gratitude. "'Bye Damon."

Once Damon was out the door, Jenna let out a sigh. "God, that guy is hot."

Elena was sure Damon was still close enough to hear. "He's an ass." She knew he would be rolling her eyes right now. _Though not all the time_, she admitted to herself.

But she would never tell Damon that.

It took Damon less than three seconds to get home. He entered the drab Salvatore mansion, a feeling of depression slowly overcoming him. He hated this place, he really did. How had Zach put up with it? With the old faded carpets and painted pictures on the walls, the house was trapped in time, never moving on. And with that, so were the memories.

If Damon looked at the archway, he saw the sun gleaming on the hot day that Katherine arrived; he saw her lips transform into a smile, one that he should have seen, had been put into practice many times before; he saw Katherine standing in-between himself and Stefan, as it always had been.

When he looked at Elena, he saw Katherine. How could he not? They could be mistaken for twins! Yet Damon was still amazed by the differences between the two girls: Katherine, though subtle, had a malicious mind that sought out to gain power and destroy anyone who stood in her way. Who would guess that from her sweet buttercup smile and kind pretence?

Elena, on the other hand... How could he describe it? She had a fiery disposition, needing only a single spark to light the fire inside her. She was bold, fearless, a true warrior – and would make a good vampire. But what Damon didn't understand was how she remained on the "good" side. If Elena did become a vampire, she would never drink blood from a human; she would die before that happened, he was sure. She was caring, would fight for the ones she loved without thinking of herself. Katherine, she had always thought of herself. She would never risk herself for anyone...not even him, which was painful to admit.

Damon gritted his teeth, trying not to allow the scream inside of him to come out. Did he love Katherine? Normally he would not even have to consider it, but... Tonight, when he had held Elena's hand... Tonight, when he pressed his lips to her skin, tasting her as harmlessly as he possibly could...

What did that mean? Did he love Elena?

"Damon?"

Instantly Damon schooled his features into his arrogant self and turned to his younger brother. "Well, what are you doing up this late?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Go hunting again, brother?"

Damon smirked. "Not exactly." He left it at that, sitting in the leather armchair. He was now drinking brandy. It was strong; Damon found that other alcoholic drinks didn't give him the same feeling as brandy, scotch and port did.

Stefan leant against the door frame, obviously wanting something. Damon ignored his little brother, the way that all big brothers can.

Usually Damon would take the opportunity to torture his younger brother, but not tonight. He knew he would have to tell Stefan before Elena did, or Stefan would be furious with Damon for lying; he wasn't in the mood to argue. "Okay, do you want to hear what Elena and I did tonight?"

"You and Elena?" Stefan snapped up straight, his eyes widened. Damon could see the cogs turning in his head: why had he been with Elena? What had they been doing?

Damon let his little brother stew for a few moments, then replied, "I thought I heard some vampires near Elena's house. I went to check it out."

Stefan sat down opposite Damon. "And?"

He tried to appear relaxed, even though he was tensing by the thought of it. "Do you remember Pearl...back then?" Neither of the brothers liked discussing that period of time, but Damon saw the recollection in Stefan's eyes.

"Yeah," Stefan said, nodding.

"Do you remember her daughter Annabel?"

Stefan frowned. "Vaguely," he said, looking away as if in a distance thought and then staring back at Damon.

"She was hanging around outside Elena's house with this other guy. He knew Katherine too. I fought them off, though I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them."

"But why, Damon? Why were they at Elena's house?"

For a moment, Damon was transported back in time. He remembered when they were both kids Stefan, being four years younger than he was, came to Damon with all his questions. He would look at Damon with those green eyes, filled with innocence, and believe that Damon knew everything about the world.

"They were looking for some Jonathan Gilbert's journal. I don't know why, but it has something to do with opening the tomb."

He could see Stefan's eyes now, cool and calculating. The eldest Salvatore could see that his younger brother was wondering if this was all some trick, some way for Damon to open the tomb. "How have they avoided us for all this time?"

Damon shrugged. "I have no idea."

Stefan smirked, seeing his brother clutching the glass tightly. "Irritated, Damon?"

"Annoying, Stefan?" growled the eldest Salvatore.

_Okay, enough fun with Damon. _Stefan stood up. "I'm going over to Elena's."

"I wouldn't," Damon called. "Jenna's back home now. Besides, I told Elena that we would be back tomorrow." Seeing Stefan's gaze, he said, "There's a lot of boxes up in the attic that we're going to look through."

"Why?"

_And I thought _he _was the smart one. _"To look for Jonathan Gilbert's journal."

Stefan stared at his brother. "Damon, we shouldn't do this. If we let those vampires out of the tomb-"

"I'm not letting _those _vampires out; I'm letting _Katherine _out." Damon stood up. He could drink in his room.

"Damon," Stefan began as he walked past his brother. "Please, don't do this. Katherine, she doesn't deserve it."

"You don't know anything, Stefan."

He should have heard the warning in Damon's voice; he had heard it enough times. But the youngest Salvatore continued: "Damon, please. I know this isn't want you to hear, but she didn't love you-"

The next thing Stefan knew, he was pinned against the wall. Immediately he tried to use his arms, but felt hands forcing them back against the wall. Damon pushed his body against Stefan's. Again, he tried throwing his brother off, but Damon lived on a diet of human blood, therefore stronger than Stefan.

Deep down, Stefan knew that Damon would not kill him. Damon was many things, but he would not murder his brother. Yet seeing those furious blue eyes, he felt his stomach drop. Damon was formidable in a good mood; now he was downright terrifying.

Slowly, Damon moved Stefan's arms up above his head. Stefan struggled again, but Damon was strong enough to keep him still. Now, using only one hand to hold Stefan's arms in place, he cupped his little brother's chin and lifted it, forcing Stefan to look him in the eye. It was hard, harder than he thought it was, not to hurt his brother.

"You don't know anything," hissed Damon. "You think you get it. One relationship and you think you know what love is. But whatever you and Elena have, I'm telling you, it isn't love."

Stefan hissed, bearing his teeth. "How would you know, Damon? When have you ever been in love?"

"Katherine!" Damon snarled. "I was in love with Katherine!"

"Katherine possessed you. You never loved her, you just _think _you did."

"Katherine did not possess me. I fell in love with her for real, unlike you and Elena-"

"I _am _in love with Elena!" At this, Stefan tried to attack Damon again, his teeth going for his brother's neck.

Smirking, Damon pushed his struggling brother back against the wall. "Maybe you believe that," he whispered. "Maybe you believe that you're in love with Elena, but soon, you'll meet another girl. You'll see something in her that you just won't be able to get out of your head; you won't be able to sleep at night. Then, little brother, you will understand what love is."

Stefan stared his brother, disbelieving. What did Damon, the great killer, know about love? What _could _he know about love?

Damon grinned. Stefan thought he knew everything about the world, but in truth he knew very little. He believed that everybody had some good in them – excluding Damon, of course. But Damon himself had seen too much of the world; he'd practically been to hell and back. He knew the truth, even if Stefan didn't want to believe it: no one was good. If you looked at people, right down to the very core, there was evil.

He felt a twinge of sympathy for his brother, something that he didn't particularly feel very often. With Stefan still pinned to the wall, he gently pressed a kiss to his forehead. Before Katherine, they had always hugged and kissed each other goodnight – after all, Stefan had never known their mother, so Damon took it upon himself to take care of him.

Not anymore.

"Goodnight, little brother." He then left, leaving Stefan confused.

**Well??? **

**I am quite pleased with this chapter, particularly Damon's thoughts on Katherine and his comparison between her and Elena. There's not much going on, and I'm sorry if anyone thinks there's not enough action or drama. In honesty I don't think they'll be much more going on in the next chapter, but if you love this whole Damon/Elena/Stefan triangle, then you'll love it! **

**Reviews are always welcome! Don't worry, I promise to update soon! **


	3. Chapter Three: The lies our parents

**Hey!!! **

**First and most importantly, I would like to say how thankful I am for all these good reviews. They make me feel SO great!!! Who doesn't like to hear how good their writing is? Of course, I will accept any criticism about my writing. Once again, thank you so much. **

**You will find this chapter very long, and perhaps some of you will not like it because not too much is going on. There also isn't much Damon/Elena as I planned, but don't worry, there will be in the next chapter! Gotta give you something to keep you reading, right? **

**Now, just a few things... **

**I mention a little about politics in this. In no way am I making a statement. I'm from the UK, so I don't know much about politics in America. It just seemed like a very Damon thing to say**

**Also, I say Damon is 149 years old in this. Most people say 145 years, but I figured Damon was four years older, so that made him 149. **

**Well, that's it. Hope you enjoy this next chapter! **

**Chapter Three **

**The lies our parent's tell us **

Elena kept her eyes closed, even though she knew it was morning. The curtains were still drawn back from last night, causing the sunlight to enter the room. It reflected of her hand mirror and right into Elena's eyes.

Her chest heaved a big sigh as she sat up. It seemed like it perfect morning as she peered out the window. As if there had been no vampires at all.

Elena played with the figurine on her windowsill. Since when had her life become surrounded by things that she use to believe were fairytales? After all, who was to say that Dracula wasn't real? Before...it had all been easy to believe that someone had just wrote about a fictional character that a lot of people just believed in. But who was to say Bram Stoker hadn't met a vampire for real?

Everything else in her life now took a back seat. Friends, parties, school, being popular... She let it all go. The only person she made sure not to forget was Jeremy. He was her brother, had shared her pain when their parents had died. She was the only family he had left; she would protect him with her life.

Suddenly, Stefan came into view. He was standing on the grass in the front garden, staring at the window. With a smile and wave from Elena, Stefan entered through the window. Stefan never appeared in front of Elena, never almost gave her a heart attack; he waited until she saw him before coming in, despite the fact he could easily enter himself.

"Hi," she said, smiling. She greeted him with a kiss.

"Hey." Stefan allowed himself to get lost in the kiss, just for a moment. "What happened last night?"

Elena pulled a face. "Damon told you?"

Stefan's eyebrows knitted together. "Why wouldn't he?"

She shrugged. In truth, there was no reason why Damon shouldn't tell Stefan. She just didn't think he _would_. Damon wasn't the type to blab every problem and worry.

"The vampires were lurking outside; Damon fought them off," Elena explained.

"Why?"

"One of them talked about Katherine."

Stefan's green eyes lit with recognition. "Ah," he said.

"The other one – Annabel – she said about the journal. They want it." Elena gripped Stefan's hands tightly. "Did my ancestor really reveal her mother?"

Her boyfriend nodded. "Yes."

Elena closed her eyes, falling against Stefan's chest. "How could he?" she whispered. "How could he do that to someone, knowing that they had a child?"

"People were scared, Elena." Stefan's voice was soft, comforting. "Remember those vampires last night? What would you have done, if they could have hurt Jeremy?"

Elena felt her heart contract. She bit her lip. "Okay," she admitted. "Point taken."

Stefan smiled, and Elena instantly felt better. "So," he said, swinging her hand. "Shall we get you some breakfast, and then start looking for the journal?"

Elena frowned as she started down the stairs to the kitchen. "Shouldn't we wait for Damon?"

It was Stefan's turn to pull a face. "Why?" he questioned. "Knowing my brother, he'll come when it's most inconvenient."

Something about Stefan's tone made Elena glance at him as she poured herself some cereal. "Did something happen between you two?"

"You could say that," muttered Stefan.

Elena crossed her hands, glowering at Stefan. She watched him squirm underneath her sharp gaze. "We kinda got in a fight."

She sighed. "You two fight more than Road Runner and Coyote. What was it about this time?"

"Katherine," Stefan answered after some initial hesitation.

Elena sighed. "Stefan, come on! Even I know better than to mention Katherine around Damon." She eyed Stefan's ashamed expression. "What did you say?"

He closed his eyes. "I told him that she didn't even love him," he admitted.

She put her hand over her mouth. "Stefan, you didn't," she whispered.

Stefan placed himself on the counter. "God, how bad is this?"

"Very bad. I'm surprised he didn't kill you."

"But it's true!" Stefan shot back. "Katherine didn't love Damon. She didn't love me either," he added as an afterthought.

"It doesn't matter," Elena replied. She took another mouthful of cereal. "Damon still is in love with her. Did you honestly think you would change his mind by telling him that?"

Stefan dipped his head. "I suppose not," he confessed.

Elena continued: "The fact is, Damon probably knows all of this already. He _knows _he was possessed; he _knows _Katherine didn't love him. Subconsciously. But admitting that to himself is a lot harder than you would think, _especially _when he still loves her."

He glanced up at her, his eyes filled with meaning. "I don't get it," he said. "How can he love her when he knows what she did?"

Elena glanced at the window. Unsurprisingly the sun had drifted away, and now the sky was filled with rain clouds. It was pouring down now, water dripping down the glass of the windows. "When a relationship loses all rhyme and reason, that's when you know its love."

It could have easily been argued that no one had been in the attic for years. Elena's chest was filled with dust as she dodged round the boxes, looking for the light switch. Catching her leg, she whirled round and fell to the floor. "Ow," she whimpered, her side in pain.

"Elena? Are you okay?" She heard Stefan's concerned voice from further away.

"Fine," she called out, wincing a little as she stood up. _You've been in worse pain, _she reminded herself. Her mind drifted back to the car crash just a little while ago. "Just tripped on one of these stupid boxes."

Light filled the room. Elena glanced over, seeing her boyfriend where she had intended to be. He was smiling sweetly at her, his eyes sparkling at the humour. Elena pouted. "No fair. You're not human."

With a laugh, he immediately appeared by side. Taking her hands, he easily pulled her up. "You have much more grace than most humans and even some vampires."

Elena smiled up at her boyfriend. "You're sweet," she said, leaning towards him. "And a bad liar."

He smiled as she kissed him. His mind wandered back to Damon words last night: _maybe you believe that you're in love with Elena, but soon, you'll meet another girl. You'll see something in her that you just won't be able to get out of your head; you won't be able to sleep at night. Then, little brother, you will understand what love is. _

Damon was crazy; he was just trying to stir up trouble between the two of them. He knew what love was, and he _loved _Elena. He never laughed more when she was around him; he was never happier when they were kissing; he couldn't even conjure a bad moment when he was holding her in his arms.

The kiss deepened, and Elena felt Stefan's hands run through her hair and settle round her neck. _Oh, God, Stefan – _

"Can we please save the make out session for after noon?"

The couple broke apart, turning to the doorway. Of course, there was Damon, beautifully dressed in blue jeans and a black shirt. He was leaning against the doorway, smirking at them. "I just the love the way your expressions differ. You see, yours," he said, indicating Elena, "is an annoyed, but also filled with a little rage and, is that frustration? Whereas my dear brother's face is a little annoyed, but more of expected, 'I accept my fate' sort of look."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Damon, can you not start until a little later? It's too early in the morning for this."

"That's exactly what I was about to say."

Stefan avoided his brother's cool gaze. He felt irritation rise inside him. _Why does Damon have to be here? Why can't he just leave me alone to live my life? _Not only that but, when he looked at Damon, he felt an enormous amount of involuntary guilt.

"Why don't we get started?" Elena asked, in an attempt to defuse the tension.

The two vampires began to move but, as if they had been reading each other's thoughts, they stopped. A second later Elena heard the front door open and shut, and her Aunt Jenna call out, "Elena? Are you home?"

"Great!" Elena said in frustration. Both Stefan and Damon looked at her questioningly, but it was Damon she answered. "She's been fluttering around me like a butterfly because of my arm."

"You're arm?" Stefan looked down and for the first time saw the bandage.

"And this is my fault how?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because _you're _the one who made the fuss about it."

"How did it happen?" This came from Stefan.

"You should really look up the definition of 'fuss'. All I said was that you hurt your wrist."

"It's your wrist?"

"The point is she won't let me look round the attic in fear of injuring myself further. _Someone _has to go down and distract her." She looked pointedly at Damon.

"Why not send St Stefan over there?" Damon asked, nodding at his brother. Stefan glowered at his brother, who grinned back.

"For the sake of progress. I can't go down there because you and Stefan will _never _get any work done, and I could really do without the sarcastic comments while looking for the journal."

Damon rolled his eyes, but started back towards the door. "Fine, I'll just dazzle her with my good lucks and charming personality."

"Don't compel her!" Elena called out at the last minute.

"Not making any promises."

Smiling ever so slightly, Elena turned to Stefan. He was looking at her, his eyes distant and slightly cool. "What?"

"Why didn't you tell me about your wrist?" he demanded.

Elena smiled, reaching up to kiss him. "It's nothing, Stefan. I just fell when the vampires attacked and hurt my wrist."

He held out his hand. "May I see?"

She placed his wrist in his hand. He examined it, grudgingly admitting that Damon had done a good job. Elena smiled through the whole thing, but couldn't help remember the way her hand tingled when Damon held it.

Maybe it had just been sore.

Damon would never admit it in a million years, but he was actually enjoying himself.

Jenna was nice. She was kind like Elena, though admittedly she didn't have the fiery disposition. But there was definitely a playful side to her and besides, she thought he was hot. How could she not be a good person?

He was teaching her how to make Spaghetti Bolognese, though they were talking about anything else but. "You've been to Italy?" she questioned.

Damon nodded. He had been to Italy...in 1905. "It was where I learnt how to make this."

"Where did you go in Italy?"

"Rome of course, though I travelled to Venice and Sicily too."

Jenna sipped her red wine. "I always wanted to go to Italy."

He glanced up at her. "You still could," he told her.

She shrugged. "Possibly, but not for a little while." At Damon's questioning eyebrow she explained. "I have Elena and Jeremy to look after."

"They could always come with you." He paused. "On second thought, you could just leave them home."

Jenna snorted. "I left for a _date _and Elena hurt herself. I would be halfway across the world – how would I be able to get back if they needed me?" She jumped off the counter, staring into the meat sauce. "Those kids, it's as if they go _looking _for trouble. I mean, until recently Jeremy had been coming and going at all hours and taking drugs. Thank God he's cleaned up now; I didn't know what I was going to do. And Elena, well." She laughed. "Look what happened yesterday."

Damon debated before sighing inwardly. _I'm spending _way _too much time than with Stefan. _"Jenna," he said softly. The woman looked up at the eldest Salvatore, noticing his eyes had changed. Before she could work it out, he spoke again, his words shocking her. "I'll look out for them. I promise."

Jenna stared up at him. She was completely stunned by his words. "Thanks," she murmured, feeling more touched than she ever had.

Damon immediately turned back to the sauce. He was a disgusted with himself. He was murderous vampire, cold and ruthless, and had now offered to be the protector for two teenagers?

Oh yes, he was definitely spending too much time with Stefan.

"I got a baby picture!" Stefan laughed as he stared at a three year old Elena eating ice cream. Eighteen year old Elena tried to snatch the picture away, but Stefan's reflexes were far too fast.

"It's not fair, there aren't any pictures of you when you were a baby!"

"Thank God," Stefan said, laughing. He placed the picture in his pocket and looked down at the box he had been rifling through. "I don't think the journal's in here."

Elena pulled another box from the mountain in the corner. "Let's try this one." In truth, she was enjoying herself. Looking through these boxes brought back memories and, even though some were slightly painful, it was still fun.

Together Elena and Stefan opened the box, as if it was a present underneath the tree. It was filled the photographs, all shoved in and disorganised. Slowly Elena lifted one up. "These pictures are old," she informed Stefan. "Look, this one was when my mom was pregnant with Jeremy."

Stefan stroked the picture. "She was pretty." He did not dare say that when he had seen her at the accident, she had looked terrible. Then again, she had been dead.

Elena continued bringing pictures out of the box. "Hey, there's me as a baby." In the photo Elena was wrapped in a pink blanket, her mother and father smiling at the camera. Elena felt her heart contract at the sight. They had been so happy, even happier when Jeremy came along a few years later. Before the accident, all Elena had to worry about was the boys in her class and tests. Even before she learnt that vampires and witches weren't just made up for children, she couldn't care less about what happened after her parents died. Okay, she had fared better than Jeremy, who had gone completely off the rails – but there had been days when she couldn't, _wouldn't _get out of bed. She just could not bear to face a world that her parents would not be in.

"I'll put these in an album," Elena decided, talking more to herself than to Stefan. "Can you help me sort them into piles?"

Stefan hadn't seen Elena look so bright while talking about her parents. "Of course," he answered, taking a pile. The two started stacking the photos into piles of equal size, despite the cramped space. Surprisingly it didn't take them long to get to the bottom of the box.

At first, Elena thought the box was empty. But looking closer in the dim light, she saw that it was a piece of paper lying at the bottom. Getting her nails round the paper, she lifted it out into the light.

Two inches of dust swept off the paper. Coughing – Elena was sure that she would be coughing it up all week – Elena lifted it closer to her eyes. _My name is on the paper... _"What's this?" she murmured.

"What?" Stefan asked, leaning over the photos to try to see.

"I think it's my birth certificate." Elena did not see Stefan freeze.

She traced her name over her written name: _Elena Isabel Gilbert. _Her brown eyes immediately went down to the line underneath. Her heart stopped; her breath caught in her throat; and in that quiet moment she felt the wall around her slowly break down.

"Hey." Jeremy entered the kitchen. "Something smells good."

"That is the special Salvatore sauce," Damon declared with pride.

Jeremy did not look the least bit surprised to see Damon in the kitchen. Out of the corner of his eye, Damon examined the boy. He was looking better, he realised. His hair was a little longer, though it suited him; his face looked cleaner; his eyes, clearer.

"You can cook?" Jeremy looked incredulous.

Jenna was back on the counter, drinking her third glass of wine. "He learnt in Italy."

Jeremy gave a nod, showing he was impressed. "I never took you for being much of a cook."

"There are a lot of things that you don't know about me," Damon retorted ambiguously.

Jeremy smirked. "Trying to tell me that you're a girl?"

Damon laughed. "Worse – I'm a Republican." Both Jeremy and Jenna, Democrats, laughed too.

"Fancy a game?" Jeremy nodded to the controller in front of the television.

Damon raised an eyebrow. "Depends what? Racing game?"

Before Damon and Jeremy could decide on what game they would play, the three of them heard an unmistakable slam of a door. After what sounded like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs, a breathless Elena appeared in the kitchen.

Damon could immediately tell something was wrong. Her coffee coloured eyes were dark, the sting of betrayal upfront and clear. He immediately wondered what Stefan had done, but sensed that it wasn't him; Elena would never be so upset over Stefan. His brother, though a pain in his ass, was too besotted with Elena to ever hurt her so badly.

"Elena," Jeremy stuttered, clearly confused. "What's wrong?"

She ignored her little brother, stepping forward. Damon thought, for a fleeting moment, that it was him she was mad at. Figures, she seemed to have many excuses to be. But instead she turned her heated gaze to Jenna. "Am I adopted?"

The question silenced the room. Damon stilled. Of all the things, he never thought that he would hear that from Elena's lips. His blue eyes swiftly moved to Jenna; the woman, who was more of a girl, was pale.

"Elena," she began. Everyone knew that because Jenna hadn't denied it, then it must be true.

The girl did not say another word. Instead she turned on her heel and rushed off the door. Stefan, who had followed her down, reached out to her, calling her name. With fury that none of them had seen before, she shoved him away. "Leave me alone!" Her voice was screechy, breaking like waves in the middle. With speed that matched a vampire's, she was out the door and driving away in the car.

Damon moved his eyes over everyone. Jenna's face was ashen, even more so with the wine in her hand; Jeremy looked stunned, his eyes wide with wonder; Stefan looked regretful, but not shocked. Why was he not shocked? _Of course_, Damon realised bitterly, _St Stefan knows everything. He probably found out everything he could about Elena. _

Finally, his eyes landed on the sauce. It would never be eaten now. What a pity.

Jeremy was sitting on the porch in the front of the house, thinking no one was watching him. Damon looked over at him. He was struck by the sense of vulnerability that the boy held. He was only fifteen, yet his parents had died, as had his first love (though he had been tricked into believing she had gone out of town) and now his sister, the one constant in his life, was not really his sister.

And Damon thought his life was a mess. At least he'd had 149 years to screw it up.

Before today, he would have left Jeremy to himself. But had he not just agreed to look after the Gilbert children? Could he really leave Jeremy alone without at least _trying _to sort out his head?

Working up his act, he strolled onto the porch. "What is it with you Gilberts? Can't you have one normal day?"

"Guess not." Damon instantly felt as if it was the wrong thing to say. Jeremy was staring out at the scenery, his eyes unmoving.

"Going to tell me what you're thinking?"

Jeremy lifted a shoulder. "I don't know what I'm thinking," he muttered.

This was when Damon wished he could mind read. "Let me guess," he said gamely. "You're wondering if anything in your life is true? If this life is just a big joke and you're the punch-line? Or how much changes because of this?"

Jeremy paused, then turned his head to Damon. "Actually, I was thinking about Elena."

Both males were silent for a moment. "Look," Damon began. He knew he was going to sound very much like an old man – which, in truth, he was – but someone needed to give this kid advice, and his aunt was out looking for her niece. Who else was going to offer him some words of wisdom? "I know that many people are going to say to you it doesn't matter that your sister's adopted, and that it's nurture not nature and all that, which you probably already know. But the truth is, she _is _your sister; you grew up with her; she's the one who's looked out for you all these years. Just because she's adopted doesn't mean that all the history between you two is gone."

Jeremy had not expected that to be helpful, but the way Damon made it sound... _Does this guy have magic abilities or something? _

The vampire could sense Jeremy was trying to keep his dignified male pride, so he said, "Anyway, that's just my thoughts." Clearing his throat, Damon stood. "I should probably go help track down your sister."

"They won't find her."

Slowly Damon turned round. His eyes looked over Jeremy. "You know where she is."

Jeremy turned his head away, only to find Damon on the other side. Before being able to comprehend how he had managed to get there, Damon said, "Now kid, who are you more afraid of, me or Elena?"

"Elena," Jeremy said without hesitating.

_Just goes to show that big sisters or scarier than vampires. _"Jeremy, Elena is probably suffering right now. She's probably not thinking straight; she could hurt herself."

Jeremy was unsure. "Elena will kill me."

Damon smiled his infamous smirk. "You've got to think about this. I mean, Elena will probably be so busy with this bombshell that she won't have time to kill you." He leant back in the chair. "I, on the other hand, have plenty of free time."


	4. Chapter Four: Talk with the Devil

**Yep, it's here, the next chapter of **_**Dark Angel**_**! **

**Okay, another mistake before I continue. A mini Oops – I – did – it – again mistake. I noticed that because of 162 candles, Damon **_**couldn't **_**be 149 years old. But let's just say for argument sake that, in this story, he is. **

**So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. There are plenty of Damon/Elena moments in THIS chapter, which is what most of you have been waiting for! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries. I mean, if I did, Elena would DEFINITELY be would Damon. And the series would end because there would be no drama between the two of them, just love... Anyway, point? I do not own Vampire Diaries. **

**Chapter Four **

**Talk with the devil **

It was raining, a perfect way to express how she was feeling. Elena leant back against the wall, letting the tears wash down her face. It wasn't so bad now. While she had been driving, the girl had been sobbing, her face wet as if she had been standing under a waterfall. Now she just shed a few tears now again – but she had a _lot _of questions.

Who was this Isobel Fleming? Why had her parents adopted her when, clearly, they could have a baby of their own? Why hadn't her parents told her? And how the hell had Stefan known before she did? The only people who would possibly know would be Aunt Jenna or Stefan, but since they had been the ones lying to her, she didn't really want to talk to them.

"Y'know," a voice said from the shadows. "Guys love saving damsels in distress."

Elena did not even look up. "Go 'way Damon."

She didn't hear him leave, but instead his footsteps got louder until she felt his body brush up against her as he sat down. She clasped her eyes shut. She really, _really _didn't want Damon around right now. He would more than likely make some stupid jokes that would make her even more upset.

To her surprise, she felt something warm on her knee. Glancing down, she saw Damon's pale hand on her knee. Gently he squeezed it, making eye contact with Elena. "You okay?" he asked simply.

Elena snorted weakly. "Oh yeah, I'm just great. I just found out that my mother and father aren't my parents. My mother is...some _stranger _I haven't even heard of, and it doesn't even say who my father is!"

Damon blinked. "So...not okay."

Sighing, Elena leant her head back against the wall. "How d'you find me?"

"Jeremy."

Elena's face flashed angry, like a bolt of lightning. "What?" she snapped.

For the first time, Damon smirked. "He _was _a little worried about you killing him, but I convinced him that me killing him would hurt much more."

"How comforting," muttered Elena.

Damon stared at the girl for a moment. She really did seem bitter, a new look on her. Damon didn't like her when she acted like this; it was _his _role. Trying to distract her, he said, "So, why here?"

Jeremy had confided in Damon – once Damon had sworn on his life that he wouldn't tell another soul (he had sworn on Stefan's life first, but Jeremy wasn't as stupid as Damon had previously thought) – that Elena would more than likely be under Woodville Bridge. Once Jeremy was out of sight it had only taken Damon three seconds to get here.

Elena looked out to the water. "This was where my parents died," she said softly.

"Oh." Damon looked to the dirty green lake. He imagined what it must have been like, to live in this town every day and know that, right here, was where you almost died; where your parents did. "Again, you're going to have to clarify."

"Well, since little brother spilt the beans, you must know that I come here often. It's just, somewhere that no one would think to look; where I can somehow feel close to my parents." She wiped her eyes. "I want to be alone right now."

Damon smirked. "Yeah, well, I'm not leaving you."

They were both quiet for a moment. "You wanna talk?" he asked quietly.

Feeling her throat close, she shook her head. So Damon leant back against the cold bricks and waited for her to be ready. Like he said, he wasn't going to leave her, and he had all of eternity. Sometimes just the presence of someone – even an evil presence such as his own – was enough to give somebody comfort.

After several minutes of sitting next to each other, Elena finally spoke. She said four simple words: "I can't believe them."

"Your parents?"

She nodded. "I mean, how could they lie to me, throughout all these years? Did they think I was never going to find out?"

"Maybe they were going to tell you," offered Damon. "I mean, you were seventeen when they died. That's still quite young."

"Or maybe they just didn't want to face the truth," Elena half snarled.

"Oh yes," said Damon, half-smiling. "Because I'm sure you were such an easy child to manage."

"What's _that _suppose to mean?"

Damon watched her for a moment. Surely she must be joking? "Okay," he said, preparing for a long speech. "You're one of the most determined people I have ever met. For one thing, you insist on hating me, even when you're dying to laugh at my remarks. You have a fiery temper that rears its ugly head at the strangest of times. You're smart, so you can think of tons of comebacks for my comments. You're passionate, so when you care about something, you _really _care about something, and combined with that determination of yours – well, I can't imagine your parents had an easy time raising you."

Elena gaped at him as he talked. She never knew Damon had thought about her so often. It seemed as if he'd had the entire speech prepared and memorised.

"What do I do, Damon?" she questioned softly.

He turned his head. "What do you mean?"

"I just found out that my mother is alive. What do I do with that? Should I go looking for her?"

He lifted a shoulder. "It's what you want."

"I don't _know _what I want!" she cried, feeling that fiery temper that Damon had described rising in her again.

"And _I'm _the one whose suppose to tell you?"

A pause. "Fair point."

"Mm," Damon acknowledged in agreement. "But I'm going to give you my opinion anyway. Wanna hear it?"

Elena shrugged, but she was a good actress. In truth, yes, she really desperately _wanted _to hear what he had to say.

"Fuck her," Damon said distinctly.

Elena glowered at Damon. "Either you're suggesting that I have sexual intercourse with my mother..."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Scratch what I said previously: you're not smart. What I mean is that you should ignore the fact that you're mother is out there."

Elena sat up, staring at him. "I have a mother Damon. A mom. I have a mom again and, maybe even a dad. I should _jump _at the chance to see them."

"Elena, they abandoned you. Whoever they were, they lost the right to have you in their lives the minute they gave you up. Besides, you can't take away your old memories." He shot her a look. "Can you really turn your back on your tenth Christmas where you dad surprised you and Jeremy with brand new bikes? Or all those heart to heart shopping trips with your mom? Or those stormy nights when you were little and would curl up at night with your parents? You can't turn your back on your parents – your _real _parents, Elena."

Elena once again found herself speechless. Two long speeches in one sitting? Who was he, and what had he done with Damon Salvatore?

She couldn't think of anything to say to him. Accept: "How on earth are you this smart?"

He winked. "After living for 149 years, you learn a thing or two."

Gently, she squeezed his arm, leaning against his shoulder. "Thank you, Damon."

He smiled without her being able to see. "You're welcome, kid."

She laughed a little. "Since when am I 'kid'?"

"Since I'm 149 and you're a mere eighteen years old."

How long they stayed there, sitting in silence, neither of them could say. It was only when it was getting dark that Damon realised how long they had been sitting there.

"C'mon," he said, getting up. He pulled Elena upright. "We need to get you home."

"No," Elena said hurriedly. Eyes still red, she wiped them away. "I don't want to go home."

He paused. "Do you want to go to the boarding house?" He felt the urge to ask her to spend the night with him, but it was only a moment of confusion before he felt an echo in his head: _she's with Stefan; she's with Stefan. _

Elena paused. "No," she said finally. "I'm not really in the mood to see Stefan." Again she hesitated, the same thought that had once been in Damon's mind creeping into hers. But before she could allow it to form, Damon interrupted.

"Jeremy would be happy to see you," he pointed out. "He hasn't done anything wrong."

Whatever Damon and Elena were, they had at least one thing in common: they were both older siblings, with needy, annoying little siblings. And Damon knew that this would send Elena home.

She sighed. "Fine, I'll go home." She glanced up at him quickly, and saw that he was looking down at her. The vampire smirked, amused; Elena ducked her head, feeling her face go red. "Anyway," she said quickly. "I should go."

Damon still had hold of her hand from when he helped her up. Neither of them had noticed that they had still be holding onto each other until Elena had been about to leave. Her eyes went down to their hands, and so did Damon's.

_What are you doing? _a voice in Elena's mind cried. _You're with Stefan! You HATE Damon! You LOVE Stefan! _Yet Elena couldn't bring herself to be cruel or cutting to him – not when he had been so nice to her...

He gently squeezed her hand. "I'll be seeing you," he said, finally letting go.

Elena's eyes darted up and down to Damon's face. "Yes. I'll see you later." Hastily she turned away to her car.

"Elena!"

The girl turned round, and leapt back when she found Damon less than ten centimetres away from her face. Before she could yell at him for creeping up on her like that, he bent down and whispered, "Take care kid."

A second later, he was gone.

Elena stayed still for a moment. All the blood was rushing round her body; her heart was hammering; she felt all strange and tingly, something that had never happened to her before.

But then what he said hit home.

"DAMON! Get back here! I am NOT a kid!"

Damon laughed silently in the shadows, watching the girl. He would follow her home, to make sure that she got back alright. But right this second, he had a phone call to make.

The phone rang only once before Stefan answered. "What is it Damon?" he snarled.

Damon chuckled. "Is that how you greet your big brother? I expect a little more respect than that."

"What is it?" Stefan repeated.

The eldest Salvatore decided to get to the point. "Elena's safe. She's heading home now."

"What?" Stefan's voice did not betray his shock. "She's – now? Where was she?"

He couldn't very well answer. After all, had he not sworn he wouldn't? He wasn't ready to die, not yet. "Sorry little brother, that's for me to know and you to...dot dot dot."

Damon could hear Stefan growling through the phone. "Damon, I swear, if you've touched one hair on her head-"

"Oh relax rabbit killer, I haven't harmed her. She's going home safe." Without waiting to listen to Stefan, the eldest Salvatore hung up the phone. He didn't really have much of a choice; Elena was getting in the car and, knowing her driving, a lot of things could still endanger her.

_Oh great. _

Elena was not surprised to see her boyfriend waiting for her in the driveway. Swallowing down bitterness and anger, she stepped out of the car.

"Elena," Stefan began, walking towards her. "Please listen to me."

"How about you listen to me?" She crossed her arms in a defensive gesture, narrowing her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me, Stefan?"

"How was suppose to go about telling you, Elena? 'Oh by the way, forget the fact that I am a vampire, you're also adopted'? I mean, who was I to give you that news?"

"You're my _boyfriend _Stefan. You supposedly care about me, so why couldn't you tell me?"

"The same way that your parents couldn't," Stefan shot back.

His final words chopped through the air like an axe, sending her spinning. She felt so incredibly..._tired _right now. She didn't really have the strength to continue fighting with him.

Sensing her weakness, he said quickly, "I am so sorry, Elena. Next time anything like this comes up, I swear, I will tell you as soon as I can."

"There better not _be _a next time, Stefan," Elena said wearily. Despite herself she smiled and, for the first time, leant into his embrace. "I forgive you." She kissed him on the cheek. "Now I should get inside, Aunt Jenna and Jeremy are probably worried sick."

Stefan smiled weakly. "See you?"

She nodded. "See you tomorrow."

"Elena!" Jeremy was by her side the second she opened the door.

"Hey Jer," she answered, hugging him. "You okay?"

He shook his head impatiently. "Forget me, are _you _okay?"

_No. _

Elena forced a smile. "I'm fine Jeremy, just beat. I'm going to bed now." She looked into her brother's eyes. "I just wanted to say, no matter what-"

"Yeah, I know, you're still my annoying big sister," Jeremy replied, smiling.

Elena could not help but grin back. "And you're still my bratty little brother."

They hugged again, though broke apart when they heard footsteps. Aunt Jenna, looking pale, instantly relaxed when she saw her niece in the hall. "Oh, thank God Elena. I am so sorry, I-"

Elena held up her hand. "I'm not mad, Aunt Jenna. I'm just really, really tired. I'm going to get to bed, okay? We'll talk in the morning."

Aunt Jenna looked as if she wanted to say more, but nodded and allowed Elena to pass without another word.

Upstairs, Elena quickly washed and brushed her teeth before changing and settling into bed, tightly clinging to her diary. She opened to a fresh page, biting the pen. It was annoying habit, but one she barely noticed she was doing. She didn't know what to write. Her mind was so muddled; how could she convey it into words?

Never mind finding out her mother was out there. She had been thinking about that so much lately, she couldn't spend another minute wondering about what she would do.

But Damon...

He had been – dare she utter the word – _kind. _He had actually talked to her, calmed her when she needed it. How had he transformed from being such a complete ass to being...a friend? Elena smiled at the thought. Her and Damon, friends? What a strange pairing, and yet...somehow it made sense. In some bizarre, eccentric way, they had an understanding between each other.

What was still confusing her, what was still plaguing her mind, was how she had been able to easily talk and laugh with Damon, a cold psychopath killer, while she had struggled to forgive Stefan.

She began to write.

_April 4__th__ 2010 _

_I don't know much about Damon Salvatore. He has remained a mystery to me for months now. But what I do know, besides the fact that he is an arrogant, annoying, self-serving, killer and psychopath... What was I saying? _

_Oh yeah. So, despite this, one thing I have discovered about Damon Salvatore is that he is... _

_A friend. Someone that hopefully I can trust. _

Later than night, when Jenna had dozed off and Jeremy had _finally _gone to bed, Damon crept in through the window. Closing it quietly – in his experience he found that humans could wake up at the most inconvenient of times – he stepped to the bed.

There was Elena, sleeping. She had dozed off an hour ago, after staring at a page in her diary for almost half an hour. Obviously the girl had been in deep thought.

Damon glanced down: the blue book was in Elena's hands, though weakly. Gently, Damon pulled it from Elena's hands; she let it go easily. He was itching to look at what she had written, but he quickly snapped the book shut before his self-destructing behaviour could wreck his relationship with her.

He put the diary and the pen on the bedside table, and then continued staring at her. Her hair was a fine mess, dark circles under her eyes. She was a little pale – Damon could 'suggest' to Jenna that Elena needed to drink more orange juice. Oh well, he would worry about that later.

He couldn't believe she had forgiven Stefan. Damon wished he could have compelled her to dump Stefan on his ass. Maybe...

Nah, Stefan would see right through that. Besides, the girl was wearing the necklace; he wouldn't be able to do anything to convince her. Besides, it was fun to torture Stefan, and also fun to talk with Elena. To know that she actually enjoyed herself with him...

Pulling up a chair, he sat down beside her bed. He had told her that he wasn't going to leave her, and he meant it. Tonight, he would watch over her.

Just in case.


	5. Chapter Five: Giving into temptation

**Another mistake. Except this one is big. **

**In the first chapter, when they talk about how Anna hates the Gilbert's, Elena says she's not a Gilbert. How could she know that, right, because she finds out in the third chapter! **

**God, I'm such an idiot. I tried to find a way to get rid of it, but I couldn't. Anyway, I am asking you, if you could just ignore that little part of the chapter? I am so very sorry. I am going to make sure I don't make any mistakes like that again. So very sorry! Believe me, I'm angrier about it than you are.**

**So, anyway, I would once again like to thank people for their brilliant reviews. It's truly fantastic to find how people like my writing – it gives me a real buzz! So thank you to all my reviewers. I appreciate the effort you make! **

**I hope you like the chapter. There are some cute Damon/Elena moments! **

**Disclaimer: Don't make me say it... Okay, okay... I don't own Vampire Diaries... I need a minute... **

**Chapter Five **

**Giving in to temptation**

Elena had said that she was going to talk to Jenna the next day – but it had nearly been a week and Elena refused to talk about it. She avoided Jenna as much as humanly possible. She could tell that her aunt was hurt being her evasion of her, but Elena wasn't ready to face her yet. Knowing that she had kept such a big secret from her had injured Elena, and it was going to take some time before she would talk to her.

Normally it would have been easy for her to avoid home, but she wasn't really talking to Stefan either. Well, at least she was talking to him, but she rejected any offer to hang out.

Mostly, she spent time at Bonnie's or under the bridge. It was comforting, knowing that if she went to the bridge, no one – well, almost no one – would find her.

He didn't come back.

"Are you sure you can't forgive Stefan?" Bonnie questioned as she slipped out the car, Elena on her heels.

"I have forgiven him."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "Yeah right Elena. You spend your lunch times in the library to avoid eating with him and you barely talk to him all day."

Elena sat on the bench. "You try being lied to by both family and your boyfriend and you'll know how I feel." She shook her head. "I mean, I get that Aunt Jenna lied. It wasn't her place to tell me about the adoption, it was my parents. How was she suppose to tell me that when my parents had just died?

"But Stefan... He's my _boyfriend. _And he knew about it. How could he not tell me? I thought in a relationship you didn't keep secrets; I thought you didn't lie."

"I read this article once," Bonnie offered, "that said you shouldn't be so quick to tell people everything. Like about past relationships and stuff."

"He did that too," Elena snorted. "But I can understand that, I suppose. But telling me that I'm adopted? Don't you think that's important?"

"What're going to do?" Bonnie asked. "Are you looking for your birth mom?"

Elena paused. "I don't know. She gave me up, so I suppose that she doesn't want to see me."

"But still, aren't you the least bit curious about her?" Bonnie pressed. "Just a bit?"

_Yes. _Elena thought about her mother constantly – both of them. She wondered whether her birth mother would have made her favourite breakfast on her first day of school like her adoptive mother did; or if they would have the same music tastes; if Elena even looked like her.

What would happen if they met? Elena tried to imagine it. Would it be awkward? Would her mother be sorry that she gave her up? Would they sob in each others' arms? Or would Elena be ultimately disappointed? What if she met her mother and realised she wasn't everything that she wanted her to be? That she wasn't her adoptive mom – her _real _mom?

Elena was still thinking about it as she entered her history classroom. She saw Stefan slip in the room, and send a glance her way. She gave him a quick smile, glancing down at her desk. She felt both guilty and angry at the same time at him. He lied to her, yet it was with the best of intentions. How could he not have told her?

Stefan looked to Elena and fought the urge to groan. He knew that she must be mad at him. Nonetheless he was confident. Luck was on his side. He'd just had a talk with Bonnie, and he had a feeling he would be able to get her back.

"_Bonnie!" Stefan jogged to her. He hated the way his legs were so slow – if only he could use his real speed. _

_She paused, closing her eyes. God damn it, she had hoped that he wouldn't run into her. Now she would be roped into the talk between her friend and her friend's boyfriend. "Stefan, I really need to get to-"_

"_I just wanted to ask you about Elena." He paused, rocking on his heels. The two of them stood awkwardly, like lions in the same pride yet not sure if they should be enemies. "How is she?" _

"_Fine," Bonnie answered, non-committal. _

_Stefan sighed. "Bonnie, please. If there's anything I can do to help Elena..." _

_Bonnie sighed. "Elena's not very happy with you right now Stefan. She doesn't like being lied to." _

"_I know, trust me, lesson learnt. I'm not going to lie to her again." Stefan gazed up at the blue sky. "She says she's forgiven me, but she hasn't. How can I get her to really forgive me?" _

_Despite herself, Bonnie felt a stab of sympathy towards him. After all, it couldn't have been easy growing up with a brother like Damon. "Look, what you have to do is to tell Elena that you're sorry that you hurt her. Tell her..." Bonnie bit her lip, trying to think. What would she want Stefan to say if it had been her? "Tell her that your life started again when she came into it. Tell her...that you value her more than anything else in the world." _

_Stefan found himself staring at her. "Wow." _

_Bonnie felt herself blush. She hadn't meant to say that. "Just tell her how you feel Stefan." Quickly she turned and walked away. Stefan stared after her for a moment before finally turning away. _

When the bell rang, Elena leapt out her seat and dashed into the hallway. But, predictably, Stefan got in the way.

Elena leant against the lockers. "What Stefan?" she asked.

His eyes were in pain. "Please, just talk to me Elena."

"We are talking."

He took a deep breath. "Elena, I am so sorry. If I could take it back, I would. But I've learnt now; I understand. I will never lie to you again." Her eyes, though a little softer, were still hard. He knew what to say. "My life didn't start until I met you." He saw her face soften, the first crack in her resolve. "I don't value anything more than you."

"Oh Stefan." Part of Elena was furious with herself. How could she, a proud feminist, allow herself to be swayed by these words? Yet Stefan truly felt that way about her? "I love you," she whispered.

He grinned. "I love you too." They kissed softly.

Elena pulled away first. "Can I come over? I really don't feel like going home tonight."

Stefan laughed. The tension he felt in his shoulders suddenly disappeared. "Of course," he said. He smiled as he gripped her hand, leading her down the hall towards their lockers. "I've missed you."

Elena nuzzled into his neck, not caring how many people were watching. "I missed you too."

But their evening together didn't turn out the way they planned. Elena had ended up cutting her finger on a knife while cutting some bread. Stefan's eyes immediately went red. "I think I need to go hunting," he said. "Now."

Elena nodded. She understood. She would rather wait here alone than become a meal. "Okay." She paused as he grabbed his jacket. "When will you be back?"

"Half an hour. An hour, tops." He gave a quick smile. "See you."

Once Elena finished her sandwich, she wandered into the living room. The house was a grim place. She didn't particularly mind it, but if she was living here, it would definitely give her the creeps. Either that or make her depressed.

She sighed, setting out her books. She might as well get some homework done. As she began to write a history report, a faint bump came from upstairs. Elena lifted her gaze to the ceiling. Stefan wouldn't home yet, which left only one person...

Elena hadn't seen Damon all week. Normally she would reveal in this, but for some strange reason she... She what? Missed him? Did she? Okay, she had admitted to her diary, even to herself, that she now thought of Damon as a friend. Sort of. But how deep a friendship was this? One that permitted her to go into his room without permission, willing to see whatever was in there? Elena smirked. Actually, Damon would love that.

For a few minutes she attempted to distract herself. Which would have been fine if it was English – even history, because she had to focus in that lesson. But maths? How could she focus when she was struggling with math problems?

She sighed, flinging the pencil back down. She would just go see him – just to thank him. Giving in to temptation, she stood up.

Elena had never been in Damon's bedroom. She had been in Stefan's room, naturally, but never Damon's. I mean, why would she? Before she had detested Damon. Now...

Slowly she went to his door. She had never even seen behind it. It had just being a dark wooden door, like the others down the hall. Sure, it held some significant because it was Damon's, but Elena had never wished to venture inside before. Sometimes she thought she hadn't _wanted _to know what was inside. It was probably filled with booze and...women.

Unsure whether or not she was going to regret it or not, she lightly knocked on the door. When they was no answer, she knocked a little harder. There was still no reply. _Is he even home? _Elena wondered.

She knew that it wasn't right to go wandering into someone else's room without their permission, especially if they weren't in. But now that the idea had entered her mind, she couldn't get it out. So very cautiously she reached and turned the handle. Nudging the door open quietly, she edged inside.

The room was surprisingly like Stefan's. But, unlike Stefan's, it was messy. Not very, but there were clothes strewn over the black leather chair; a few books with pages bent over and cracked open; the covers of his page messed up. But then again, that could have been because he was in it.

Elena felt her heart stop. He was sleeping? Since when did he sleep during the day? She wondered what he had been doing that previous night. Drinking? Dancing with hot girls? Sucking on their blood? Whatever it was, Elena doubted that he had been sitting quietly at home reading a book.

He was lying on his stomach, his arms casually flung out at either side. His face was looking to her, but thankfully his eyes were closed. He was so...different. When his lips weren't smirking, when his eyes weren't rolling, when he was planning something. He seemed...sweet almost. He was almost like a child in this form, one that hadn't seen the harshness of this world yet. She wanted to mother him, run her hand through his beautiful black hair. She wished she could, but he was probably tired. Elena didn't want to wake him.

Smiling at him fondly, she quietly slipped back out the room.

Once the door clicked closed, Damon raised his head. He had sensed Elena as soon as she had entered the house, but was too tired to go down and tease her. He was lightly dozing when he heard the door click open, and then her footsteps. He could tell it was her by her scent, the way she walked – the way her heart began to beat faster once she saw him.

He didn't move. He couldn't even if he wanted to. His mind had been yelling at him to burst out with some sarcastic remark, something funny that would make her jump and yell at him. But he...just _couldn't_. _Can vampires get ill? _he wondered.

He sighed. At 149 years, Damon knew a lot. He knew that Stefan did not love Elena, but Elena loved Stefan. He also knew that – despite everything – Elena liked him.

He just didn't understand his feelings toward her.

When Damon came downstairs Elena was sitting in the living room doing her homework, as if she hadn't moved. "Trying to bring those failing grades up?" he said, smirking.

"My grades aren't failing!" Elena declared hotly. Glancing down at her math homework, she bit her lip. "And even if they are, it's all your fault!"

Damon jumped over the sofa, landing next to Elena. A little too close. He glanced at the paper. "What you working on?"

"Maths."

Damon pulled a face. "Can't I help you with history?"

Elena raised an eyebrow. "You would help me?"

He pretended to be insulted. "Of course I would help. You'd be getting straight As if I was doing your homework."

Elena laughed. "Yeah right!" She leant back on the couch, staring at Damon. "Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks."

He raised his eyebrow. "Yes, I know I'm beautiful. You should be thankful to have me on this planet."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Yes, I am so pleased to have you around, with your ego the size of the America." She waited till he stopped laughing before saying, "As I was saying, thank you for comforting me last week."

Damon shrugged. "Don't worry about it. After all, I couldn't torture you if I felt sorry for you."

Elena snorted. "Glad to see you care so much."

"Don't mention it." Damon leant back in the seat. He watched as Elena leant forward, writing the answer for a solution. Her forehead puckered in concentration. Damon admired the way her face crinkled when she was concentrated; and he could always tell when she was daydreaming because her eyes glazed over, and sometimes she would mutter under her breath (thinking no one could hear her) and smile at nothing.

He glanced at her wrist. "How is it?" he asked, nodding to her left arm.

She glanced down. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

"May I?"

Elena stared at him. _Since when does Damon Salvatore ask for anything? _"Sure."

Damon gently took her hand into his own. Elena could not help but feel her hands tingle when he ran his right one over the top. Carefully he squeezed the wrist. There was no reaction whatsoever. "I think it's healed." He glanced over to her under his lashes. "Shall we take it off?"

If the bandage came off, Damon would never hold her hand again... "I think I might leave it on just a little longer," she whispered.

He gazed at her, his face not revealing anything. She gazed back at him, undaunted as she had been previously – when she thought that Damon was the bad guy. But she was starting to see, starting to understand, that you couldn't always judge a book by its cover.

Slowly she began to lean towards him. She saw his eyes flicker to hers, unsure. She knew what he was thinking: _is this a trick? Why is she doing this? I thought she hated me. _But it didn't stop him from beginning to lean forward too.

Then the sound a breaking glass interrupted them.


	6. Chapter Six: Fearless

**Good news people! I fixed the mistake in the first chapter – about Elena knowing that she was adopted before she found her birth certificate. I am SO glad I fixed it; it was driving me crazy! **

**Don't be mad at me... I know I've been MIA for the past week (two weeks?) but it's time to revise – and I'm getting nervous. Besides, there's only one week of college left – it's going to be hectic! **

**But anyway, here is the next chapter of **_**Dark Angel. **_**I hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries. If I did, there would be a LOT more Damon/Elena scenes. **

**Chapter Six **

**Fearless**

Out of the corner of his eye, Damon saw the far living room window being smashed to pieces. In an instant he grabbed Elena and threw her to the ground, pushing his body over hers.

Elena didn't know what was happening, but she felt her head ache in pain. _Why does this always happen to me? _Even she wasn't sure what she was referring to.

She turned her head, Damon blocking her view. A voice, a girl's, said "I decided to drop by. See how you were doing in your search."

Damon smirked, standing. "Annabel." Elena recognised his voice. It had changed somehow: it was the voice he used normally, but it didn't sound the same as when she had been talking to him. It had been...softer? Sweeter? Kinder? Or was it that look in his eyes, when the mask had suddenly slipped for a second? Elena would have preferred to spend more time pondering this, but she heard the girl – Annabel – begin to speak.

"It's Anna. Have you found the journal yet?"

Damon shrugged casually. "What interest is it of yours?"

Anna hissed. "Of course it interests me."

"Care to explain why?"

"I'm not stupid Damon. I just want the journal."

"Okay," said Damon, holding up his hands. "Say we get the journal. What on earth makes you think that we're going to give you it?"

Anna smiled darkly. "You worry about finding the journal; I'll make sure you see sense." Her eyes caught Elena's, and she showed her fangs. Elena flinched and scrabbled against the floor, backing away. Damon saw this and disappeared and reappeared in front of Anna.

"We'll get the journal, trust me." His words were carefully enunciated, malice dripping from them. "But if you threaten Elena, Stefan or myself, then we'll keep it for ourselves."

Anna shrugged, turning away. "As long as I get the journal, I don't care."

Damon watched her go, still tense. As soon as he felt she'd gone, he turned to Elena. "Are you okay?" he asked. He was careful not to go too close to her. It was clear he couldn't be trusted, what with his hormones going wild at the moment.

Elena nodded, rubbing her head. "Yeah. My head's a bit sore."

In that instant, Damon's pitiful attempt to keep his distant crumbled and he went to her. Gently he reached up to her head, stroking the red lump that was starting to form. "It's fine," he said, trying to reassure himself rather than Elena. _What's wrong with me? Get a grip! _

Elena stared up at Damon for a moment before taking note of their surroundings. Glass, which is notorious for jumping, was all over the room. Elena saw the couch that they had been sitting on was now covered in pieces. _If I had been sitting there, glass would have cut right into my skin. _She glanced back at Damon, her brown eyes soft. "Thank you Damon," she said simply. "That's three times now."

Damon's blue eyes, as cold and vast as the Antarctic, softened for a split second. "You're welcome." He smirked, the mask slipping back over his face. "Besides, you saved me back in Atlanta. I owed you. Though I have to admit, you do seem to be trying to die."

She rolled her eyes. "Why me?" she asked simply.

Damon smiled, a true one. It was as if Elena was staring straight at the sun, and just like the fiery star, it was dazzling. "I, for one, am glad it's you."

Elena met his gaze. The two could not tear from each other's eyes; it was as if their eyes were burning, but at the same time it was unbearable to look away.

The door opened, and both Elena and Damon broke away. Stefan appeared in the foyer. He took in the broken window, the shattered glass over the floor, and Elena's bruised head. "What happened?"

_April 10__th__ 2010 _

_There is something wrong with me. Have I been taken over by Katherine? Is this some bid to escape the tomb? I don't know. But I am certain there is something off with me. Maybe I'm ill? _

_But today, when Damon was next to me, smelling so sweet... And when I was watching him sleep... There was a look of peace and tranquillity, one that I've never seen on Damon's face. I felt something inside me break like a dam, and all of a sudden I wanted to cry because of it. He was so childlike – it's hard to imagine. _

_With everything that's going on with Damon, I forgot about the Gilbert journal. Anna attacked again today, and this time she threatened us. Not in so many words, but it was definitely implied. She means business – but then again, if my mother was locked in that tomb, I would do anything in my power to open it. _

_But then again, mothers are a touchy subject for me. _

_Stefan came in and looked after me. He was so tender and sweet, I felt like such a bitch. Had I almost kissed Damon? Had our lips almost touched? I found myself staring at them, as if they had been moulded specially for me. But it's Damon, and it's wrong. I am in love with Stefan! And what's more, I'm not going to be Katherine. History is _not _going to repeat itself. __I am not falling in love with Damon.__ I am not going to fall for Damon Salvatore. _

_Here's the thing: even though all this is happening, I'm not scared. I should be; I should be petrified. But there's an overwhelming sense of calm around me. As if all of a sudden I, Elena Gilbert, am fearless. _

Finishing her writing, Elena snapped the book shut and placed it on her bedside table. She stood, the covers falling beneath her, preparing to close the window, when suddenly she felt a blast of air sweep past her.

Air catching in her throat, she whirled round. She wondered why she was even surprised.

Damon smirked. "Good evening Elena."

"What the hell are you doing here, Damon?"

"No, 'Damon, how nice it is to see you'? Or, 'Oh my God, Damon Salvatore is in my bedroom'?"

"How about, 'Get the hell out!'" Elena tried to shove him, but he didn't even budge; instead she found herself moving, falling on the bed.

He laughed. "I know, a lot of women faint around me; it's completely natural."

Elena growled, but forced herself to remain calm. _What on earth am I thinking? Damon is such an ass! _"What do you want?"

He shrugged. Running his eye over her pyjamas, he said, "We need to find the journal, don't we?"

Elena widened her eyes. "And we're doing it now?"

He smirked. "Why not?"

Elena's heart raced. Alone, at night, with Damon? Without Stefan to remind her about her morals? With the demon of temptation?

She went to her bedside table. "I'll call Stefan."

In a flash Damon grabbed her arm. He tugged her towards the attic, though to Elena it felt more like he was dragging her. "Why would we want Stefan around spoiling our fun?"

Elena struggled as he pulled the stairs for the attic down. "Stefan-" Before she could say anything Damon covered her mouth. His skin was surprisingly soft. Her memory cast back to the night a week ago, when this all began. Her eyes went up to Damon's; they met, coffee brown and cobalt blue.

For a moment, it was only the two of them.

Then Damon heaved her up to the attic.

Elena glanced round. The piles of photographs were still on the wooden floor. She did not want to remember the last time she had been up here.

"What if I find something I don't want to see?" she asked Damon softly.

Damon glanced at her out the corner of his eye. In one swoop he took the photos and started piling them in the box. "You're going to find things that you don't want to see all the time. You can't prevent it."

She closed her eyes and sat on the floor. The dust went all over her, but she didn't care. "I don't want to look."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Look who's being lazy now."

"Not lazy, but if I don't look than there's less chance of seeing things I don't want to."

Damon sighed, being dramatic. "Fine, just leave me to do all the hard work as usual."

He was trying to goad her into talking back to him, starting one of their famous verbal matches. But she was looking down to the ground. It was as if she wasn't listening. He couldn't see how he could make her help, or even if it was wise to try. Instead he pulled another box down and tore it open.

It somehow felt slightly wrong for Damon to be going through their things. They were pure, proof of the love in their family. He grinned as he picked up a drawing, the name Elena written in the top right corner. "What's this meant to be?" he asked.

She squinted in the dim light. To Damon's relief she broke into a smile. "I remember that!" She shuffled over to Damon. "I drew the picture in kindergarten."

"What's it meant to be?"

Elena looked offended. "It's a dog! Anyone can see that!"

"It looks like a giraffe."

She snorted, tossing her head like a horse. "You should get your eyes tested Damon."

"You clearly need to take art classes Elena."

"I got a B in art!" But Damon was already pulling out other belongs. He got hopeful when he saw books. Blowing the dust off the cover, he saw no title. It looked too modern though, for Damon's time. He opened the book to see writing, but his keen eyesight could tell it was a biro pen.

He felt Elena's pulse begin to race. He glanced at her, almost fearful, but she recovered. "That's my father's handwriting," she murmured. Transfixed, she stroked the pages.

Damon felt something in his chest, though he couldn't tell you what. Elena had so much pain in her life. Stefan may get annoyed at her for the way he treated Elena, but at least she had fun; at least he made her laugh. At least forgot her pain for a little while.

She cleared her throat. "We should do this another night Damon," she said, attempting to stop her voice from shaking. Damon heard it anyway.

"Sure," he said softly. Closing the box he took her hand and led her down to her bedroom. "You won't be able to see."

He wasn't sure who he was trying to fool.

Stefan didn't know what he was doing, why he was doing it. All he knew was that he felt uneasy about Damon and Elena. He couldn't understand how Elena could spend time with Damon. Didn't she want to keep as far away from him as possible, just like he did?

He hated the way they fought, firing verbal insults at each other. Elena's eyes lit up when Damon entered the room, though it would only be for a moment. Still Stefan saw it.

_Is it too late? _he wondered. Was history repeating itself once more? And what's more, why wasn't he angrier? Why didn't he want to find Damon and rip him to shreds?

More importantly, was she meant to be with him?

But tonight he had another issue. He quietly stepped towards the small town house, relieved to see that he wouldn't have to resort to throwing pebbles at the window. She was sitting on the porch, staring up at the sky with those dark eyes of hers.

"Hey," she said before he even opened his mouth.

He blinked, and appeared in front of her. "How did you know I was there?"

Bonnie smiled. "I'm a witch, remember? My grandma is teaching me how to sense...creatures?"

He grinned. "It's okay Bonnie, you can say evil blood sucking vampires."

She laughed in relief, though he saw her wince when the screams from the house. A normal human would not be able to hear what the two adults were saying to each other, but Stefan heard some words. He kept a reaction from his face.

Apparently Bonnie heard some of them two. She blushed slightly, but didn't try to deny what her parents were saying. Stefan admired her for that.

"Shall we go for a walk?" he asked.

Bonnie nodded in relief. She stood up, and Stefan noticed her hair lingered in the air for a moment before falling – a telltale sign of a witch. He wondered how he hadn't noticed it before.

They walked away from the house, and entered the woods. There was a small path, one of the common hiker trails. Stefan knew many other paths, some less obvious than others, but he didn't want to scare her. He expected her to be nervous walking with him at night – so why did she? A moment later, he realised she must be thinking the same about him.

"I just wanted to say, thank you. For what you said – it really helped with Elena."

Bonnie smiled a little. "I'm glad. You make Elena happy. I haven't seen her happy like that for a while."

Stefan frowned. _She's happy with me _and _Damon? Is that even possible? _

"Anyway, so..." She seemed to be looking for something to say. "Did you find the journal yet?"

He shook his head. "We're still looking," he said, though he had forgotten about that with the whole birth mother thing.

"And they want it to open the tomb?"

"We think so, though I still don't understand how the journal leads to opening the tomb. It must be something written down, though how Jonathan Gilbert would know is beyond me." Suddenly he didn't want to talk about it anymore. It seemed too heavy, too stressful on his mind.

For a moment, he just wanted to be human; even if it was just for a second, he could pretend.

"How's it going, learning to be a witch?"

Bonnie drew a breath, but smiled. "It's challenging. And I thought writing a history essay was difficult! Grams' is helpful, but it's just exhausting, both mentally and physically. When I come home I just want to go to bed; I've been falling asleep in class."

"Maybe you should take a break," Stefan suggested, but Bonnie shook her head.

"No, I love it! Okay, it's tiring, but it's like finding a whole new side to me. I always felt like there was something missing inside me; like there was something different about me, that other people just wouldn't understand."

Stefan snorted. "Tell me about it. I've been different for 145 years."

Bonnie shot him a sideways glance. "What's wrong with being different?"

Stefan shot her a bemused look.

"Okay, I know that being a vampire isn't the kind of 'different' people are looking for, but things could be worse."

"Like how?"

Bonnie admitted, it was difficult to try and find something worse than being a vampire. "A werewolf?" she said. She smiled, asking "Should I not go out when there's a full moon?"

Stefan glanced at the sky thoughtfully. "The town's fine, but I wouldn't go out in the forest when the moon's full. I wouldn't worry though, not even werewolves can defeat vampires." He continued walking, leaving a stunned Bonnie watching him.

"Wait, what-" She stopped. "I don't want to know."

They continued walking in silent, until they had unconsciously gone full circle. "I'll see you later, Stefan," Bonnie told him as she walked up the steps to her house.

He found himself opening his mouth. "Wait," he told her, stepping onto the porch. She turned, her brown eyes wide with confusion, to stare at the youngest Salvatore. His heart stopped for a moment, staring into those deep eyes. "I... I just wanted to say sorry."

Bonnie was now really confused. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Bonnie. I never wished to bring you into this."

She watched him for a moment, before bringing out a smile. "Stefan, I'm a witch. That never would have changed, even if you and Damon had never appeared in Mystic Falls. I would have learnt about vampires anyway."

"But you..." He glanced at her neck, where Damon had plunged his fangs into her neck in a fit of rage not too long ago.

Bonnie saw his eyes flicker to her. "Doesn't matter," she whispered to him.

Stefan wondered if he was getting the wrong messages; and Bonnie felt as if she could sense some sort of tension in the air, but both of them felt...something. As if there was some potential for something more.

But not tonight.

Damon had not wanted to leave Elena alone, so he didn't. He sat in the corner of the room, and Elena leant against the head of the bed. He found himself telling Elena stories of his past, which had her flinging her head back to laugh. He loved it when she did that, she looked so beautiful...

But anyway, he would tell her some of the bad things he had done (though not the most horrible things) and soon she was smiling, the journal on the side of the bed forgotten.

"Wait, so you let the entire cell go free?" Through the darkness Damon could see Elena's shining brown eyes.

"It's not as if I was letting murders go free; just a few drunk drivers."

"Was this before or after you compelled that virgin nun to sleep with you?"

"Before. I think sleeping with the nun was a personal best." He glanced at the leather book; he wanted to snatch the journal and read every page. Even though it wasn't from the right Gilbert, he wondered if it would lead them to Jonathan's journal.

Even though it was dark, Elena could see his bright eyes staring intently at the book. "You can't read it."

"Are you going to?"

She ran her hands over the dark leather bound book. "Maybe," she murmured. She paused. "But it's like going up to the attic: what if I find something that I don't like?"

Damon smirked. "And do you remember what I said?"

She laughed softly. "That you can't prevent it."

"Exactly. But if you want, _I _could read it for you."

She shook her head. "It was my father's journal; I should read it."

"Fine. You don't even need to read through it completely, just skim the pages until you see the name Jonathan Gilbert." Elena nodded, though Damon had the impression she wasn't really listening.

They continued talking, going on late into the night. By one, Elena could feel her eyes getting heavier, but she refused to give into sleep.

"Okay," she said, yawning, trying to keep it interesting. "Tell me a secret."

Damon smirked at the girl, who was now lying flat on the bed. "You really expect me to tell you a secret of mine?"

"Why not?" Elena asked defensively.

"Oh, I don't know, you might tell your boyfriend?"

Elena sat up; through the gloom he could see her serious face. "I wouldn't, Damon. You can trust me."

His eyes didn't leave her face. Suddenly she lost the sight of his shape, only for it to reappear by her window. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Elena stifled a yawn. _God, he's being dramatic! _"Yes," she answered, though she wasn't so sure.

"It's a big secret." His eyes scanned the sky, gazing at the clouds. He couldn't look at her.

Elena rested her head on the pillow, smiling. "I think I can handle it, she whispered, though the girl should have really considered what she was getting in to. Damon was no angel; his long list of bad deeds would make a nun swear (and he would have proudly pointed it out on his list as one of his accomplishments). Did she really want to know?

He took a deep breath. "You sure?" She gave a moan and he felt a smile twitch on his face. "Okay, here it is." _Just say it, you idiot; she's only a human! You're Damon Salvatore; you're fearless! _"I'm in love," he blurted out. He wanted to stop right there, but now his mouth seemed to be running on its own accord. "I'm in love with you Elena. I know you probably won't believe me – you'll probably think it's just some joke to get at Stefan – but, but it's not. I think I'm falling in love with you, if I haven't already – even more so than with Katherine. I, I can't explain why this happened, but it did, and – and I love you," he finished clumsily, his normally witting tongue abandoning him.

His eyes, now tightly closed, waited for her to say something. The silence was torturing him; he couldn't even see what she was thinking. He turned, slowly peeking out of one eye. Then he opened his eyes wide, stunned.

She was asleep.

He was speechless. He honestly couldn't believe it. He, Damon Salvatore, the vampire that never let anyone in, had finally revealed his true feelings, and she had fallen asleep! He checked her heartbeat, wondering if she was merely pretending. But no, her heartbeat was slow and calm, just as it usual was in slumber.

Despite it all, he found himself chuckling. Maybe it was a sign? Part of him was disappointed, but another part of him was immensely relieved. Elena still did not know how he felt about her. He was not vulnerable, like he had been with Katherine. He was safe; an impenetrable fortress against anyone who attempted to hurt him.

_Still...no harm in staying... _

Pulling up a chair, he sat opposite the bed and watched her sleep.

**I know, I'm an awful tease aren't I? But c'mon, it's Damon and Elena; it's obviously not going to be easy! **

**Until next time! Reviews are more than welcome!**


	7. Chapter Seven: Doesn't feel right

**I'm baaaack... **

**I am so SO sorry that I haven't updated this story lately. I've been wrapped up in exams and other stories. And I'm also sorry that this chapter isn't as long as I would like. But I happen to think this chapter has a lot of drama in it, and has a lot of D/E moments. Will that make up for it? **

**So, read, review, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters; just this particular storyline.**

**XxX**

**Chapter Seven **

**Doesn't feel right **

Elena couldn't shake the uneasy feeling as she drove up the drive to the Salvatore mansion. She was going on a date with Stefan tonight, in an attempt to be "normal". She snorted as she parked. _What are the chances of that? _

The girl had spent all morning in the attic, searching for the journal. She had forced herself to ignore most the memories and photographs, knowing that if she saw a picture of her parents she could lose hours staring at it. So far she had found three of her old dolls, a pile of clothes, a bunch of Christmas decoration and some dusty books, but no journal.

She now entered the mansion, taking a quick look round. She couldn't decide whether she was looking for Damon or trying to avoid him. She let loose of breath of relief when she realised he wasn't there.

Knowing Stefan would come down the stairs when he was ready, she slipped in the kitchen. She wasn't sure why – after all, they probably wouldn't have any edible food. But to her surprise, they did have hot chocolate. She smiled; Stefan was so sweet, he probably got it for her.

She spent ten minutes making it and waiting for it to cool before finally tasting it. It was delicious: hot chocolate was always so comforting. Elena didn't mind coffee, but hated tea. Hot chocolate, on the other hand, was one of her favourite drinks.

"Elena," a cool voice said, one that she knew well – too well. "How are you?"

She forced herself to be calm as she turned to him. Oh God, how her heart pounded when she saw him! He was dressed in black, but his shirt was slightly open. _Oh God. _She inwardly took a breath. "Hey Damon," she replied. "What's up?"

"The sky – what's down?"

"The ground." She grinned, despite herself. _That man and his sarcastic tongue. _

"Have you found the journal yet?" he asked. He poured himself a glass of water.

She shook her head. "No. I did look, I swear! But there were no books resembling the journal, I triple checked them all."

Damon muttered under his breath. "We need to find it before they do."

"They seem to be waiting for us to find it."

"So they say." He turned back to her, sipping his water. "Still, Anna seems desperate. If we don't find it soon she may decide to make us go faster." Damon sent her a knowing look, one that made Elena shiver, understanding.

"Why don't you just use your vampire speed?" she asked him. "Surely you'll find it faster?"

He was shaking his head before she ended the sentence. "We need to take it slow; don't want to miss it."

Elena nodded. "What are you doing tonight?" she asked him.

He shrugged. "Maybe I'll go to a bar. Meet a girl, see what happens?"

The thought of him meeting a girl caused her heart to clench. It wasn't just the thought of him taking blood from a human, but having sex with another girl...

"Don't," she said to him.

He raised his perfect eyebrows at her. "What, Elena? What's the problem?"

She glowered at him. "You know what the problem is, Damon."

"What does it matter? You don't care."

She didn't answer. Instead she said, "Why the fuck are you such a jerk, Damon? You know what, don't answer that; just forget it." She turned away, facing the counter.

Half a second later she felt the warmth of his body pressed up against her back. She immediately froze. Her shoulders were against her chest. She didn't dare turn round; he would see the redness of her cheeks. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. "You try to push me away, try to hate me, so you can fall out of love."

"Damon," she breathed. "Stop it." She made no move, however, to push him away.

He moved his mouth closer to ear. Elena's heart began to hammer against her rib cage, immediately turned on. His breath was in her ear; his tongue could just as easily be placed inside it. "Guess what?" he whispered. "It's not that easy."

He could have kissed her then; she was so full of desire she wouldn't – couldn't – stop him. But she felt his body move away from hers, and when she turned round, he was gone. "Damon," she hissed, furious. She shouldn't have been mad at the missed opportunity, but she found disappointment in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey." Elena whirled round, her hair landing beautifully though annoyingly across her face. Stefan stood before her, dressed in a nice shirt. "How are you?" he asked. It didn't sound as good as when Damon had said it.

She plastered a smile on her face. "Hey," she murmured as he kissed her. "What's up?"

He shrugged. "Not much. You ready to go? I thought that nice little Italian place would be nice?"

She liked the Italian place, but she had been there too often; she wasn't in the mood.

So why in the hell did she say yes?

As they made their way out, Elena thought she saw someone on the stairs. But when she looked, there was only a shadow.

**XxX **

Damon watched from his bedroom window. Stefan opened the car door for Elena, and his brilliant eyesight saw her smile and murmur a thank you. Damon wondered, if like himself, she hated the way he was always babying her; as if she couldn't do things for herself. He stayed by the window even after they drove away.

There was a pain in his chest: he hadn't had this pain for a long time, but all the same it was familiar. Yes, he missed Katherine; oh, how he wanted her! But he remembered how he used both him and Stefan. He was sure she loved him, absolutely positive. All the same, he was worried that there was going to be another love triangle.

_Elena. _Even her name made his heart fly and send shivers down his back. At the same time his stomach dropped, pain spread over his chest. He knew for sure he was falling for her.

Why? Why her? Was it because she looked like Katherine? He dismissed it quickly: though both girls were amazing, they were polar opposites. Maybe it was because, in some ways, she was like him: determined, quick-witted, smart.

Frustration came over him. He hated Stefan: why did he always find the girl first? Why did she always fall for his boyish innocence and his sweet ways?

He slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a large dent. It wasn't fair; his life was never fair. Why, after years of searching for Katherine and wanting her, had he found a girl that looked exactly like her? And why, both times, did they fall in love with his brother and not him? Why did neither of them return his love?

If you asked Damon Salvatore what the greatest pain in the world was, he would have the same answer from 1864 to 2010 – unrequited love.

**XxX **

"So," Elena said, trying to make her smile seem real, "what did you do today?" The conversation seemed strangely forced. Elena had always thought of Stefan as her safe heaven, the one that she could tell anything to.

_Not anything. _Not about Damon.

Stefan wished she hadn't asked that question. In truth, his thoughts had often wandered to a certain dark haired witch. He didn't understand it. He had a girlfriend – Elena, who was sweet and lovable, kind and beautiful. And yet... She had a fiery side that he didn't like; he worried that she was so impulsive that she would get herself hurt one day (so far they had been lucky); she didn't understand that, when he lied, he was trying to protect her.

He shrugged. "Finished some homework – you?"

She sighed. "I looked for the journal. I haven't found it yet." She looked up at him over her pasta. "Should I be getting worried?"

He shook his head. "It'll turn up. Once we give her it, we'll be rid of the problem."

She stared at him curiously. "But don't you want to know what she wants it for?"

"Does it matter? If it gets her to leave us alone, then isn't it worth it?"

"No," she shot at him. "What if she just makes things worse?"

A silence fell over the table. "Elena," Stefan said, his voice stern. "I will do anything to protect you."

Something inside her chest woke – a tiger that she thought was long since dead, that she hadn't felt since her parents' death. It had stirred before, she realised, when she was talking to Damon. Had it been him that had finally woken it? "I can take care of myself Stefan."

"Against vampires?" Stefan didn't seem angry; simply incredulous. "Elena, a vampire could kill you in an instant."

"There are ways," she snarled. "A stake to the heart; you've already given me the necklace. I can take care of myself," she repeated, as if it emphasis the point.

She could see Stefan was getting impatient. Part of her understood: he loved her, he wanted to protect her. But mostly she was angry; the amber eyed tiger was emerging in full force. "Elena, can we just drop this?"

She put her fork down. "No, Stefan, we can't forget this. You need to recognise that I can be independent; that I don't need a white knight to come riding in to save me."

Finally Stefan said the words that she would always hate him for: "No you can't."

It hit her like a ton of bricks. Was he implying that she was weak? She stood up, flinging her napkin down on the table. "Goodbye Stefan." She hurried out the restaurant, wanting to get an advantage over him and his vampire speed. Stefan stood to go after her, but the hostess quickly went over and reminded him that the food wasn't free. Since he only had a credit card, he would have to wait.

Elena knew where Stefan thought she would go, so she walked down through the park. It was the long way back to the Salvatore mansion i.e. her car, but she didn't care. A power walk would do some good; get some anger out of her.

How could Stefan say that she needed protecting? If anyone was tough, it was her. She had endured so much: her parents' death, Vicki's death...

_But am I weak? _

She didn't want to think that. But that was what she feared the most: she didn't want to be like a little girl, scared of stepping outside her house. Usually she wouldn't have thought she was terrified of anything, but vampires had given fear a whole new name.

This conversation hadn't helped with her feeling towards Stefan. She just wanted things back the way they were; when they first met, those few blissful days where she didn't know Damon.

As soon as he had arrived, Elena knew he would be trouble. When he had so slyly mentioned Katherine, when he arrived at the dinner she was having with Bonnie and Stefan, when he had tried to kiss her...

Her breath caught in her chest. Before she couldn't have been any more disgusted, but now... She wondered what it would be like to kiss him, to have his tongue wander through her mouth, to have his hands touch her burning body...

She shook her head. "For God's sake!" she cried, glad that no one was around to see her meltdown. "I love Stefan! I love Stefan Salvatore!" _NOT DAMON. _

Elena hated her heart; no matter what her brain said was right for her, her heart always disagreed.

**XxX **

Damon nearly jumped when he heard the front door slam; he hadn't expected Stefan and Elena to be back so soon; he had he would be out before they had their make out session.

But to his surprise, he heard only one set of footsteps. He turned, and twice in one night came face to face with Elena Gilbert.

She clearly seemed surprised to see him too. "I thought you were out."

He tried to appear casual. "Felt like staying in." In truth his heart hadn't been in it. Thoughts of Elena had swum through his head, her moral voice in his ear. He couldn't hurt anyone. "What are you doing back?"

She blushed, but her eyes sparked. _She has such fire in her, _Damon thought, not for the first time. "Stefan and I got into a fight."

Damon grinned. "So you've finally realised my brother is an annoying dimwit?"

Oh, Elena hadn't wanted to see Damon. After what happened in the kitchen before, she hadn't wanted to see Damon for at least a week. But, despite everything, she wanted to talk to him. He, out of everyone, would tell her the truth.

She followed him into the living room, purposely choosing an armchair instead of the sofa next to him, so she wouldn't be tempted. He was surprised, she could tell, but hid it well. Only someone who knew him would be able to tell, but the thought made Elena uneasy: did that mean she knew him?

Trying to strike up a conversation between the eldest Salvatore, she asked, "What're you drinking?" He was drinking out of a mug, but who knew? Maybe he put alcohol in it?

He smiled. "Hot chocolate." Her surprise must have shown on her face, because he laughed. "I've always liked it. When I'm depressed, it cheers me a little."

Not many people would have caught the pragmatics of that sentence, but of course, Elena did. "You're feeling sad?"

Damon bit his lip. He was _not _going to reveal his feelings to Elena. She was the last person he would share this with.

And yet, she was probably the only person he would.

"So what was the fight about?" he asked her.

Elena knew he had changed the subject purposely, but didn't call him on it. "Stefan thinks I'm weak," she blurted out. "He thinks that I need someone to protect him."

Damon laughed, leaning back in the sofa. "That's Stefan," he said with a laugh. "Always trying to protect people."

"Doesn't he get it?" she asked. "I can walk; I don't need him to put pillows on the ground to soften the blow when I fall."

He saw her eyes go darker. "What is it?"

"Huh?" she asked.

He sighed. "You're sitting with me even though you have your car out there. That means that you either feel sorry for me or you want to talk." He put his hand under his chair mockingly. "Ask me anything."

She smiled a little. Despite everything, it was nice to know someone knew her. "Am I weak, Damon?" she finally asked. "I mean, is Stefan right? I can take care of myself, can't I?"

The vampire stared at her for a long moment. She felt uncomfortable under his gaze: it was as if he could see right through her, know all her secrets. It scared the hell out of her. It would have been comforting if she knew that was what scared him about her.

"Forget it," she said quickly. His silence told her everything.

She began to stand up, but he moved in front of her. She hated that, how he could appear without warning. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Slow down princess. Sit down; I have an answer."

Feeling somewhat nervous – like she was about to walk into an exam – she sat down on the armchair. He sat opposite on the coffee table, only adding to her nervousness. "You couldn't stand against a vampire. They're strong, fast, and could kill you in an instant." When she opened her mouth, he said quickly, "However, I have to admit, I wouldn't want to face you. You're tough; you could talk you're way out of anything. I mean," he said, chuckling, "you already did. Remember Atlanta?"

She did; she smiled, remembered how she had convinced a vampire not to kill Damon.

"You're strong in other ways too," he continued.

Elena was liking this conversation. "Such as?"

He began to tick a list off his fingers. "For one thing, you're morally strong: you stand by your friends and family; you have a good sense of right and wrong." _Some of us, _he thought,_ lack that. _"Secondly, you're brave. Look at the time you went looking for Vicki, or when you stopped that vampire from killing me. Those were scary situations; you didn't need to get involved, but you did anyway. You're also strong in endurance."

She looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"After your parents died, you could have sunk into a depression. You could have gone on anti-depressants, let their deaths kill you too. Take you brother – he turned to drugs to numb the pain. But you didn't: you stayed strong; you slowly came back to life."

Elena couldn't take her eyes off Damon. He had noticed all these things about her; had thought about them obviously in detail. She smiled, a sweet, pure one. "Thank you Damon."

He winked at him. "Anytime you need a pick me up. Just give me a call."

She stared at him, her heart pounding. His face was inches away from his. His lips just centimetres away –

Stefan suddenly came through the door. "Elena," he said, going towards her.

She stood up. Despite what Damon had said, she was still angry at him "I was just leaving," she answered coolly.

Stefan glowered at Damon. "What did you say to her?"

Her anger flared up again. Before Damon could retort, she snarled, "_He _was actually making me feel better. Unlike you, who just seem to get me more annoyed." She looked between the two of them. "Those jobs are meant to be opposite." She turned away, heading out of the house.

Stefan went out after her. "Leave me alone!" she called behind her.

He appeared in front of her; she instantly moved backwards. "Stefan-"

"Elena, I'm sorry, okay. I am so sorry. I just don't understand why you're so mad."

Damon heard this, and felt a little stunned. _Stefan doesn't understand why she's annoyed? God, does he even know her at all? _

For some reason, he couldn't stay out of it. "She's annoyed," he called out, "because you injured her pride." Both of them stared at the eldest Salvatore. "She likes to think of herself as a fighter, and you just undermined her. Plus, you made her worry that she wasn't." He stood, leaning against the archway.

Stefan glared at his brother. "Go away Damon. No one wants you here."

_Ouch_. Damon was surprised how much that hurt. He was use to comments like this, but _this _one stung. Still, he kept the mask over his face. "I'll leave for now, little brother. But I'm staying, just so I can annoy you." He disappeared, appearing up in his room. He instantly went to the drinks cabinet; he was going to need help tonight.

Back downstairs, Elena glowered at Stefan. "That was cruel, Stefan."

"What? He's only here to cause trouble. Now, can we please talk?"

"I'll talk to you later Stefan. I don't want to talk now." She moved towards him, but moved her hand behind to the doorknob. Before she left, she hissed in his ear. "And for your information, _I _want Damon around." She slammed the door loudly, letting him know she was angry.

Stefan stared after her. With those words, he felt his heart slowly sink. _I'm losing her. _

**XxX **

Halfway home, Elena gave in and pulled her car to a stop. She was sobbing, allowing her heart to acknowledge the pain. She knew the future, and it wasn't going to be good.

_How do you tell someone that you love that you love someone else more?_


	8. Chapter Eight: Ouch

**Hey! **

**I'm SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY! I know I haven't updated in such a long time (see profile), but I hope this chapter filled with drama will make up for it. **

**So, please enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the characters**

**XxX**

**Chapter Eight **

**Ouch**

That night, Damon snuck through Elena's bedroom window once again. He had done this every night – that is, every night that she wasn't with Stefan.

He was amazed at the fight. He had always imagined Stefan and Elena to be the perfect couple: sort of like those couples that people stared at in high school, always seeming happy, always holding hands, always in love.

But if that was so, why had Stefan and Elena argued, not once but twice?* Why did Stefan lie to her, and not understand her? And why had there been so many moments where they had almost...

He couldn't think about it. He was so c_onfused. _He had loved Katherine for so long; but all of a sudden he found himself yearning for Elena. And he loved her too – or at least, he thought it was love. Was it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? Katherine seemed to think so – though he hoped that she loved him more than Stefan. But what would happen if he had to chose?

_Like that would happen_, he thought with a snort. There was no way he could enter that tomb. Yet... It had something to do with the tomb. They wanted it open – but how did the journal link with that? Damon was going mad, trying to figure it out. _We need to find the journal. That's the only thing that can shed light on this situation. _

He gazed down at Elena's beautiful face. She looked so peaceful. Didn't most people, when they were asleep? He wanted to run his hand over her cheek, but he didn't dare in case she woke up.

So, once again he pulled up a chair, sat down and watched over her. He would be her protector, her warrior, her angel. Though he wasn't a beautiful, light angel – no, he was the dark, sinister angel.

_But if Elena wants me, _he thought decidedly, _then so be it. _

**XxX **

Stefan was having a lousy day. Elena had been off with him, speaking to him but not really. He wasn't in the mood to actually try, not after last night. _For your information, _I _want Damon around. _What was Stefan suppose to do with that? How could he ignore the signs of history repeating once again?

He was sitting on the bench, thinking. He didn't know where Elena was, but right now he didn't care. He had too much to think about. To his surprise, he found some sliding in a seat opposite him.

"Hey," Bonnie said, with a somewhat shy smile.

Stefan couldn't help but smile back. "Hey. You alright?"

Her brown eyes, to his surprise, showed concern. "You okay? You seem..." She struggled to say the right word. "Down," she finally decided on.

He shrugged, trying to seem casual. "It's nothing."

Bonnie couldn't be fooled. "Elena?"

He sighed. "How'd you guess?"

She laughed. "You're too predictable, Stefan. Besides, usually you and Elena would be together right now and, well, you're not."

"Very observant."

"I am. Now, stop avoiding the question."

She saw right through him. "We got into a fight."

Bonnie waited patiently for him to continue.

"It was something stupid; it's not even the point anymore. I..." He paused; it was alright thinking it in his head, but it was harder saying it out loud. "I think there's something going on with Damon and Elena."

Her eyes widened. She could put up with Stefan, but Damon? All she saw was the cruel, demonic vampire. Whatever humanity Damon had previously was now gone, as far as Bonnie was concerned. "She wouldn't," she said automatically. "Elena hates Damon."

"She did," Stefan said gloomily. "But... When I came home, those two had been talking. And before that, Anna – the vampire that wants the journal – attacked again, well, Damon was with her both times."

"It wasn't your fault, Stefan. You couldn't predict when she would attack."

_Doesn't matter though_, Stefan thought sadly. _Elena would only see who had protected her. _

Bonnie couldn't help but feel sorry for Stefan. Damon was obviously trying to sabotage their relationship to get back at Stefan. Any fool could see that – which begged the question: why couldn't Elena?

Abruptly Stefan stood up. "I don't think I'm going to stay."

She blinked at him in surprise. "But – why? I mean, you've got classes-"

"I'm not in the mood," he replied. Gathering his things, he began to walk away. "I'll see you later, Bonnie."

She knew she shouldn't do it. Even Bonnie could admit there had been sexual tension between the two of them. And yet... Something inside of her, something reckless, wanted to go after him. Bonnie was use to doing what was right. What if, for once, she did what was wrong?

"Wait." Stefan turned round, somewhat surprised. "I'm coming with you."

His brow furrowed. "But... I thought-"

"I know," she answered. She started walking next to him. "But wouldn't you rather spend the day at my house than at yours with Damon?"

He grinned. "Good point. But what about your parents?"

Bonnie slipped into the passenger seat. "They're at work." She glanced at the window. "Now let's get out of here before someone sees us."

She could have meant teachers, but in Stefan's mind, she meant Elena.

**XxX **

Usually Elena liked English, but not today. She wasn't in the mood. She hadn't particularly been speaking to Stefan, and to make matters worse, she hadn't seen Bonnie all day either. She needed _someone _to talk to. If anything, she wanted Bonnie to confirm that she was right, and that Stefan was wrong.

When school ended the girl wandered out to her car. She tried to call Bonnie, wondering if the girl was sick because she hadn't been in school. There was no answer. Elena was now becoming worried: Bonnie usually checked in with Elena, even if it was just a quick text message.

Elena began turning down Bonnie's road. She decided to go make sure she was alright; after all, if Bonnie was sick, Elena should try to help her. She was feeling a little guilty: with everything that was happening, she hadn't been spending a lot of time with Bonnie. She knew the girl's parents weren't getting along very well, and that was hard on every child. She felt sympathy for the girl: Bonnie had been there whenever she needed her. How did she repay her, by spending all her time with Stefan?

Climbing out of her car, Elena walked down the garden path and tried the door. It was locked, but Elena knew where they hid the key. Smiling she unlocked the door and stepped through.

Then everything changed.

She saw, through the glass of the door that she was hiding behind, Bonnie and Stefan. Stefan was holding Bonnie in his hands, gentle and tender, like the way he use to hold Elena; his head was bent forward, his lips squashed firmly against hers. And she, with her eyes closed and hair flung off her shoulders in the air, leaning towards him desperately.

She could only stare. For once words failed her. Instead of confronting them, she whirled round and raced to the car. She heard the door slam and winced, knowing they would have heard. She managed to get in the car and reverse it, but not before Stefan came to the door.

His stunned eyes met hers. There was too much that she wanted to say, but all she could do is send him a glance filled with – what? Anger? Betrayal? Sadness? Confusion? She didn't stop to talk to him; she drove away, ignoring the feeling in the pit of her stomach – the one that she couldn't describe just yet.

**XxX **

Elena didn't know what she was doing. Tears were falling fast from her face, and she couldn't stop them. She didn't know what the hell she was doing.

Still, was that any excuse for ending up here?

She stood at the door, staring at the hard wood. Her stomach was full of knots, though she wasn't sure why. Was it after what she had seen, or what she was about to do?

Before she could prepare herself, the door was flung open and Damon Salvatore shot out. He flustered as he nearly banged into her, reaching his hand out to steady her. "What are you doing out here?" he asked, smirking. "Trying to listen to what I sing in the shower?" But then he focused on her face, which was pale like the moon. "What's wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, anything. Damon could see this, and gently took her arm and pulled her inside. "What is it?" he asked gently.

Elena shook her head, feeling her eyes water. "I... I need you."

He was beginning to get confused; Elena couldn't just say that, did she? It was like one of his dreams. "What do you mean? Elena, what happened?"

The words felt dirty on her lips. "Stefan and Bonnie... Cheated on me." After that her throat closed up.

Damon stared at Elena. "What are you talking about? Stefan wouldn't cheat on you with Bonnie."

Anger surpassed confusion and shock this time. "Do you think I'm _lying_?" she snarled, looking and sounding like Katherine. "I thought you of all people would support me."

"You must have misunderstood. Stefan wouldn't cheat on you, not after what happened between me him and Katherine."

Fury came from deep inside her; the tiger inside of her was roaring now. "I saw them _kissing _Damon. How can I misunderstand that?"

Damon didn't know what to say. He wanted to believe Elena, but... Stefan wouldn't do that, would he? Damon would be the first to admit that he didn't know his brother, but even so, the pain had killed him and Stefan. Why would Stefan do that again?

"Damon," Elena whispered, her eyes desperate. "You have to believe me."

He held her gaze. How could he deny her? "Okay," he murmured. "I believe you."

The door was flung open, and Stefan stepped through. If Elena's expression was desperate, Stefan's was distressed. Instantly Damon felt his stomach contract. He couldn't decide what he wanted more: to punch Stefan or comfort Elena. Instead all he could do is stand stock-still as he watched Stefan stride towards Elena.

"Elena, please, listen." He moved towards her, but she shot backwards. She saw the hurt flash in Stefan's eyes, but at this moment she didn't care; she didn't want to be anywhere near him.

"Get away from me Stefan," she hissed.

"It was a mistake," he said, his eyes wide. "I honestly don't know how it happen."

"But it did Stefan. _How could you? _How could you _cheat _on me with my _best _friend?" She felt hot reluctant tears fall from her eyes. "I _trusted _you. I gave you my _heart _and I trusted you not to hurt me. But you did, despite _everything _I've done for you." She had enough time to glower at him through her tears. "I wish I'd never met you."

She tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her wrist. By no means was he being threatening; he just wanted to make Elena listen to him. Unfortunately Damon didn't see it that way.

In less than a second Stefan felt his head bang against the wall. Somehow Elena had been removed from Stefan's grasp unscathed and was now standing at the other side of the room while Damon pinned his brother against the wall. "You will not touch her," he growled.

Stefan hissed back at Damon. "Stay out of this Damon."

"Not when you could hurt her, little brother."

"I am not-"

"STOP IT!" The brothers turned to face Elena. She was standing in the middle of the room, staring at both of them. Damon couldn't read her expression: it was blank, indifferent.

She faced Stefan, looking at him directly. "Stay away from me Stefan. You and I have nothing to do with each other anymore, got that?"

"But Elena-" Stefan tried to move towards her, but Damon pushed him back against the wall.

Elena's eyes drifted to Damon's; silent understanding passed between them. Without another word she turned away and stormed out the door.

When he heard the car pull away, Damon let Stefan go. His brother moved his hand to his neck, rubbing it gingerly. "Nice work Damon."

Damon felt some of his own anger begin to boil. "_Me? _You think this is _my _fault?"

"If you had let me talk to her-"

"She or you would have gotten hurt, possibly physically." Damon strode away, only to turn back from the middle of the room. He sent Stefan a look that, surprisingly, filled Stefan with guilt. How did his big brother have the power to do that? "How could you, Stefan?"

Stefan glanced to the floor. "It was a mistake."

"You made this mistake once already; _I _made this mistake before. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

"It was a mistake, Damon."

"So I heard." His blue eyes darkened. "But this time you hurt Elena. _Elena_, Stefan. The girl that you claim you love – or have you now realised that your love for Elena is nothing compared to the love you have for Bonnie?"

Stefan glanced at Damon. "How did you know I wasn't in love with Elena?"

Damon shrugged casually. "I don't know. You seemed happy with her but not... _Happy. _Your eyes were somehow empty. It was like it was rehearsed, as if it was out of a book or a play. I knew that it wouldn't work." He glowered at his brother, once again angry. "But you didn't have to kiss Bonnie to find that out."

"It just happened. But I love Elena-"

Before Stefan could even register what had happened, Damon had collided with him. This time Stefan fought back, and before long they were snarling on the floor, their teeth bared. Damon had the upper hand since he was eating human blood, so Stefan became very sore until he finally heaved Damon off.

"Don't you _dare _say that you love Elena," threatened Damon, panting. "If you loved her, you wouldn't have hurt her this way!"

"It was-"

"A mistake, I know! But I don't care! You had a choice, and you blew it!" He stepped forward, bearing his teeth. "So if you _ever _go near Elena again, so help me, I will tear your arms off. I mean it Stefan." With that, he turned round and started out of the house.

"Next time you see me, don't talk to me!" called Stefan angrily. It was always what they said to each other when they were still human and had this kind of fights.

"Fine!"

"Fine!" Damon slammed the door so hard, he was surprised that he hadn't broken the door.

**XxX **

If bad things came in threes, Elena now knew that if her seeing Stefan kissing Bonnie was one, arguing with Stefan was two, then seeing Bonnie standing on her porch was number three.

She didn't even know why she got out of the car – she should have just kept driving. But now she had gotten out of the car, and Bonnie descended on. "Elena-"

"Don't," the girl cut in, her voice hard. "I don't want to speak to you ever again."

Bonnie's eyes swam with tears. "Elena, it was an accident! He just kissed me! It didn't mean anything, we were just talking-"

"About me, you mean?" Elena felt tears coming from her eyes now. "What, did you have a good laugh at me, poor oblivious me?" She was really beginning to cry now, but Bonnie was stopping her from going inside.

"I'm sorry Elena, please, tell me it's okay. Tell me that you forgive me."

"Will you let me inside?"

"Yes."

"Then I forgive you."

Bonnie studied her face. "You don't, do you?"

Elena backed away, suddenly very tired. "Do what you want," she said. Crying in her bedroom was overrated anyway. She got back in her car and drove away, not looking at Bonnie once.

**XxX**

Damon knew where Elena was without having to think. He could hear the poor girl sobbing as he walked towards her, undaunted, under the bridge.

It was raining again, thank God, so no one would be able to hear her crying. Elena was holding her legs, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't care how she sounded, she just felt her heart aching in pain. She had been faithful to Stefan, despite everything. Admittedly she had come very close to kissing Damon, but she hadn't. That counted for something, right?

He sat down next to her, putting his arm round her shoulders. She knew who it was without even having to look, and buried her head in his chest. He allowed her to sob in his chest for God knows how long.

It began to get late, darkness overshadowing her. Damon never liked Elena being out after dark – that was when vampires without rings could come out. So he carefully lifted her in his arms, wondering if she would protest. But she didn't seem to care, only wanting to stay with him. He could feel how strongly she was gripping his clothes.

In a second they were back in her bedroom. "You should get changed," he murmured in her ear. He attempted to put her down, but Elena whimpered and struggled, wanting to remain in his arms.

"Please," she sobbed quietly. "Don't leave me."

It had been a long time since some had begged him not to leave. Damon felt his dead heart begin to beat again, as if those words had been a cure. "I won't," he promised, his voice gentle. "I won't leave you, but the best thing for you to do right now is to get changed and go to sleep."

She shook her head; Damon didn't know what she meant, but he knew that she was too upset to do anything. "Okay," he said gently, "do you want me to help you get changed?" It sounded so stupid, making him sound like a child, but what else could he say?

Elena did not reply, but only continued to sob in his chest. He tried to lower her down again, but she struggled even harder this time. "It's okay Elena," he whispered soothingly. "I promise I am not going to leave you. But as much as I want to, I can't keep you in my arms forever. I'm just going to go get your pyjamas so you can get changed for bed."

She must have listened to him, because she finally allowed him to place her on the bed. Quickly he turned away, going into her top drawer to find her some clothes. He immediately found some short pyjamas, which would cover the least amount of skin. A while ago he would have begged to see her in them, but not tonight. Tonight was filled with pain and heartache, not just for Elena, Stefan and Bonnie, but for him too. If nothing else, it reminded him of the pain that he had been through. It had been years, but in some ways it seemed like yesterday.

He went towards her, carrying a pair of red long pyjamas. She was still in an upright position, quietly crying and not attempting to hide it. "Elena, get changed," he said, but she shook her head. Sighing, Damon very carefully went down to the bottom of her top and lifted it. He was surprised to find that she didn't object; she even lifted her arms so he could get it off fully. He tore it off her body and flung it carelessly to the ground. She was now sitting there in her bra, a sight which would have been Damon's dream, had she not been sobbing.

He didn't even try to remove the bra; instead he put the pyjama top on. He did the same with her jeans, not even touching her underwear. Once she was changed, he disappeared. Elena gave a startled cry, believing that he had decided to leave. But an instant – not even a second – later he appeared again, this time holding a flannel. "Wash your face," he told her gently, and she obeyed without a word.

Once she had cleaned her face, he lifted her again and this time slipped her under the covers. As if he was her father, he sat on the edge of the bed, stroking his hand through her hair. "Go to sleep," he encouraged.

She opened her tear-filled eyes. "Damon?"

"Yes?" he whispered gently. The girl was bringing out emotions in him that he not appeared in years.

"Does it ever stop hurting?"

He wished it wasn't him that had to tell her this. "No," he admitted. "But it does lessen in time."

She stared at him. "It didn't with you," she murmured.

Once again he stroked her hair, and this time her face. "No," he repeated. "But it will for you."

She gripped his hand. "Stay with me," she begged. The thought of Damon leaving her was too much to bear.

He nodded once. "Of course." When he said that, Elena relaxed ever so slightly.

But she could not go to sleep, and continued to sob throughout the night, with Damon by her side.

**XxX **

***The birthmother argument, when Elena found out that she was adopted **

**Thank you for reading! Reviews are more than welcome! **


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